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Aston Martin says Alabama is 'obvious choice' for US plant

Aston Martin is gearing up to be the next foreign automaker to build an assembly plant in the United States – and it looks like it'll be in Alabama. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, company CEO Andy Palmer said that he and his team will make a decision on the prospect of building its second factory, and that the Yellowhammer State was the "obvious choice" for its location. The possibility first came up on our radar last month, after Aston reportedly held discussions with representatives of state governments in the South. The plant would be earmarked to handle production of the DBX. Slated to be the company's first crossover, it was previewed in concept form at the Geneva show in March. "Our principal customers will be in the United States and China," Palmer said to ANE. However, the US would apparently be preferable to building a plant in China, from which it would be more difficult to export vehicles to other markets and where Aston would need to form a joint venture with a local manufacturer. The prospect of building its plant in the same state where Mercedes builds its SUVs would offer certain advantages as well: Aston has inked a deal with the German automaker to supply some systems and components. The British automaker has also long-been rumored to be considering building a crossover based on the same platform as the GL-Class (soon to be redubbed GLS), although that may or may not take the form of the DBX. Aston Martin is working toward ramping up production from the 4,000 units it sold last year to as many as 15,000. "If we went to three shifts" at the current plant in Gaydon, said Palmer, "we would be at 15,000 a year, so theoretically we could do it but you'd have no room for stoppage for maintenance. Related Video:

Aston Martin launches Evolution Academy driver training program

No longer content with simply recruiting new talent when they're ready, young driver training programs are becoming increasingly vital to a racing team's success and continuity. But while most of those programs are run by Formula One teams like Red Bull and Ferrari, this time it's Aston Martin that's set up a network of its own. The British automaker, as any endurance racing fan will tell you, has a robust motorsports program, including works entries in the FIA World Endurance Championship, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Nurburgring 24 Hours, to say nothing of the privateer teams it supports in other series around the world. And to feed it with new talent, it has launched the Evolution Academy. Designed for up-and-coming drivers between the ages of 17 and 25, the Aston Martin Evolution Academy will be limited to ten participants each season. Each trainee will be assigned a veteran professional racing driver from the Aston Martin Racing roster, get seat-time in Aston's simulator, and will be coached in everything from fitness and nutrition to marketing and sponsor recruitment. At the end of the program, the top of the class will be offered a contract to race full-time with the company, which would be a pretty plum assignment for any sports racing driver. The announcement was made at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, where Aston is showcasing its various Vantage-based racers. ASTON MARTIN RACING LAUNCHES LANDMARK EVOLUTION ACADEMY 7 January 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin Racing is launching a young driver programme, the Evolution Academy, which offers a coveted 2016 Aston Martin Racing works driver contract to the most successful participant of the season. The academy, being launched at the Autosport International Show, is open to applications from drivers aged 17-25 competing in an Aston Martin racing car this season. It has been devised by the Banbury-based team to help support and develop young talent, as well as creating a breeding ground for Aston Martin Racing works drivers of the future. Successful applicants, limited to a maximum of ten, will be assigned a professional mentor from Aston Martin Racing's team of top GT drivers. In addition, they will be given fitness and nutrition assessments and advice; PR, marketing and sponsorship support; training sessions in an Aston Martin Base Performance Simulator; and Evolution Academy-branded apparel including a race suit and team kit.

New Aston Martin V12 Vantage rumored with 670 hp

In August, spy photographers at the Nurburgring took pics of an Aston Martin Vantage mule doing hard laps. The primer black test car sported an extra wide body, a big ol' V-shaped mesh net on its hood likely hiding heat extractors, an enormous grille with extra intakes along the sides, and dual pipes jutting out the center of the rear diffuser. It looked like Aston Martin had put its 5.2-liter V12 into a Vantage engine bay, and reports from ears on the ground said it sounded that way, too. Remember, last year's Aston Martin Speedster was based on the Vantage chassis and was powered by that 5.2-liter V12, an engine not available in the series production Vantage. In the Speedster, that engine produced 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. The Supercar Blog reports that its sources say a reborn V12 Vantage might have its engine restricted to 670 hp. That seems a logical number, possibly putting the V12 Vantage a notable step down from the 715-hp DBS and the 690-hp special edition Speedster. If it does get 670 hp, that figure would put it 40 ponies ahead of the DB11 with the same V12, but TSB reports the V12 Vantage will be a limited edition. Expected to arrive for the 2023 model year as part of the standard Vantage's model update, sources say there will only be 299 made.  The last time Aston Martin put its biggest engine in its smallest car, the result was arguably the best and most enjoyable car in the automaker's range. We have the same expectation this time around. Unlike the last time, though, there won't be a manual transmission on the menu; it's said the updated Vantage will go with the eight-speed automatic only. Now that the Vantage F1 Edition starts at over $160,000, a V12 Vantage could start beyond $190,000 and even creep over $200,000. Company CEO Tobias Moers has said he plans 10 derivatives of existing models by 2023, so it seems likely that this won't be the only special edition Vantage on the way.