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Aston Martin Vantage might get a Mercedes inline-six

Aston Martin has turned its eye to the inline six-cylinder engine Mercedes-Benz installs in the CLS 53. The British carmaker uses an AMG-sourced 4.0-liter V8 for the DB11 and the Vantage, which produces 503 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of torque in the latter coupe. Aston Martin hasn't said anything about whether or when it would use the inline-six, nor mentioned a product to slot the engine into. If the six does migrate from Germany to England, the move brings several benefits for Aston Martin, and it would create the first six-pot Aston Martin since the 1999 DB7. The 3.0-liter, AMG-built six-cylinder uses an electric turbocharger to put out 430 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque, and gets help from a 48-volt EQ Boost micro-hybrid system throwing in 21 hp and 184 lb-ft. After driving it at a Mercedes-Benz test track, Aston Martin's chief engineer Matt Becker called the powerplant "very complicated and clever," and said, "it's a very impressive engine" that he could envision serving the brand. The 2019 Vantage engine bay can already fit the company's in-house, 5.2-liter V12, so a straight-six shouldn't be hard to swallow. As for how it would fit into the lineup, there's a chance a six-cylinder Vantage supplants the V8. However, since Becker said his engineering team "would not necessarily play" with the AMG's power curves, that option would probably have to wait until AMG upped the three-liters' output. We'd be surprised if Vantage buyers would accept giving up two cylinders and 73 hp. More likely, a six-cylinder Vantage could give Aston Martin a new entry-level model to undercut the $153,081 Vantage V8, but with plenty of ponies to thrill. A V6 coupe could also help the carmaker's emissions scores, and serve specific markets such as China where engine displacements greater than three liters get hit with heavy taxes. Related Video:

Aston Martin teams with Red Bull Racing for new supercar

Aston Martin has a new supercar in the works. Only this time, it isn't going it alone. Dubbed project AM-RB 001, this model is being jointly developed by the British automaker and Red Bull Racing. The freshly inked "Innovation Partnership" has been a long time in the making and will combine the talents of Aston Martin's chief designer Marek Reichman with those of Red Bull's legendary technical director Adrian Newey. Motorsports consultancy AF Racing AG will also collaborate with Q by Aston Martin Advanced and Red Bull Advanced Technologies to get the project off the ground and onto the road – and the track. Unfortunately, as the press release below and teaser image above are decidedly sparing with the details. But Reichman says the partnership is "in the process of developing a hypercar that combines the latest in aerodynamics from F1 and the stunning design language of an Aston martin sports car." One way or another, we trust it will prove a worthy successor to the likes of the exotic One-77 and the track-bound Vulcan. This isn't the first time we've seen Aston's chief exec Andy Palmer broker a partnership with Red Bull, having previously chaired the team's longtime sponsor Infiniti. Nor is it the first time we're seeing Red Bull dip its toes outside the confines of the F1 regulations – only its previous designs remained limited strictly to the cyberspace of the Gran Turismo gaming series. We'll be watching closely to see how this supercar project comes together. Related Video: ASTON MARTIN AND RED BULL RACING TO CREATE NEXT GENERATION HYPERCAR 17 March, 2016, Melbourne: British luxury brand Aston Martin and Formula One team Red Bull Racing are today announcing a partnership which sees Red Bull Racing's Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey and Aston Martin's Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman collaborate to produce a ground-breaking Aston Martin hypercar. Codenamed Project 'AM-RB 001', the new hypercar will represent the ultimate blend of cutting edge F1TM technology with Aston Martin's signature sports car design. The combined talents of Newey, widely noted as the most successful Formula One designer of all time, and Reichman, Aston Martin's design chief since 2005, are set to produce the ultimate hypercar. Combining the strongest elements of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin, this new Innovation Partnership unites the world's best aerodynamicists, composite experts and manufacturing masters.

Aston Martin stock price shaken and stirred by latest weak outlook

Aston Martin warned its 2019 profits would almost be cut in half due to weak European markets, sending its shares sharply lower as rivals Bentley and Rolls-Royce powered ahead. Tuesday's downgrade is the latest from the British luxury carmaker, whose shares have now plunged about three quarters in value since their 2018 listing. The 107-year-old firm, famed for being fictional agent James Bond's brand of choice, cut its forecast for wholesale volumes and profit margins in July, and reduced its volume forecast again in November. It has blamed weak UK and European markets and subdued demand for its Vantage model and said on Tuesday those conditions continued through December, leading to a 7% drop in wholesale volumes for 2019. "From a trading perspective, 2019 has been a very disappointing year," Chief Executive Officer Andy Palmer said, as the company's shares plunged as much as 16%. While Aston spent 2019 ploughing money into a new factory to build its first SUV, the highly lucrative market a number of carmakers have entered, rivals such as BMW-owned Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen-owned Bentley appear one step ahead. Bentley on Tuesday said its Bentayga SUV boosted the brand's performance in 2019 as it returned to profitability, while Rolls-Royce's Cullinan helped drive a 25% increase in sales to an all-time high of 5,152 vehicles. "Cullinan has proven to be an outstanding hot seller for the brand," Chief Executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes told Reuters. "We are sitting now on an order bank reaching even far into 2020." Aston hopes its first SUV, the DBX, will emulate this success and revive its fortunes next year. About 1,800 orders have been booked since its launch in November, the company said. "The order rate is materially better than any other car that we have ever launched before," Palmer told Reuters. For 2019, Aston expects adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 130-140 million pounds ($171 million to $184 million). The company reported 247.3 million pounds in core profit a year earlier, while analysts' average forecast was 196 million pounds for 2019, according to a company-compiled consensus. Aston said it was also in talks with investors for a potential equity investment and would draw down $100 million in bond notes. Its shares, which have lost nearly 3 billion pounds in market value since their listing, were down 11.1% to 464.8 pence at 1136 GMT.