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Aston Martin designs another house, this one overlooking Tokyo

In Japan, where so many apartments aren’t much bigger than the cabin of a Bentley, it probably doesnÂ’t makes sense that Aston Martin plans to build a luxury home with a vista overlooking Tokyo. Of course, the home, designed as it will be by Aston Martin artists, will feature an automotive gallery. And after oneÂ’s parked his car, he can enjoy the wine cellar, in-house cinema, gym, and the private spa. The four-story property, already sold (price not revealed) and due for completion in about a year, is the British brandÂ’s first collaboration with homebuilders in Asia, but it is not the first time Aston has dipped a toe into projects other than automobiles. In 2018, the company launched a power boat, the AM37, a $1.6 million toy that was the result of two years of research and development. Supposedly designed with similar proportions that Aston applies to its vehicles, the top trim level AM37S makes an estimated 50 knots derived from its twin 520 horsepower Mercury petrol engines. Aston Martin even got into the personal luxury submarine game. Aston has also partnered to build a 6,000-square foot  “house” called Sylvan Rock in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, costing $7.7 million, and is collaborating on the construction of a 66-floor, high-rise condominium in MiIami. Top price for a unit: $50 million. But the view is very nice. For the so-called “holistic” extravaganza near Tokyo, Marek Reichman, executive vice president of Aston, said: “The influence of Tokyo culture, with its amazing history and style, holds an important creative space within our design studio. I see fashion, architectural and even culinary references being considered by our team.” Japanese luxury real estate developer firm VIBROA is working with Aston Martin on the project, with an eye toward expanding the carmakerÂ’s presence in Asia. Related video:

Best luxury SUVs of 2022 and 2023

Once upon a time, the idea of a luxury SUV meant a Range Rover, and even that was pretty agricultural by modern standards. Then Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ford Explorers started offering fancy, range-topping versions followed soon by Lexus, BMW and Mercedes dipping their toes in the water. And then the floodgates opened. Today, there is a staggering number of luxury SUVs available in every shape, size and price point. There are electric luxury SUVs like the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace, as well as gas-swilling, high-performance SUVs like the BMW X5 M and Cadillac Escalade V. Sports car makers Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini have even dived in.  But of this great many, which are the best luxury SUVs? We sat down, scoured our reviews, took some votes, had some discussions and came up with the luxury SUVs we view as the best. They are listed alphabetically within the six segments listed below.  Best Subcompact Luxury SUV   |   Best Compact Luxury SUV   |   Best Midsize Luxury SUV (Two-Row) Best Midsize Luxury SUV (Three-Row)   |   Best Flagship Luxury SUV (Two-Row)   |   Best Flagship Luxury SUV (Three-Row)  Best subcompact luxury SUVs Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class Why it stands out: Outstanding space and versatility; legit luxury interior; amusing GLB 35 versionCould be better: Overwhelming and confusing tech interface Most subcompact luxury SUVs are a dubious value, with cramped interiors of marginal quality and unrefined driving dynamics. You'd be much better off paying less money for a loaded, non-luxury compact SUV. The Mercedes GLB is different, though. Its boxy design provides space few other subcompact SUV can match (luxury or otherwise), while its cabin design and feature content are in keeping with pricier Mercedes models. The quality's not exactly up to GLC standards, nor is driving refinement, but the difference is appropriate for how much you're saving and still perfectly acceptable. There's nothing dubious about buying a GLB.     Volvo XC40 Why it stands out: More features for the money; spacious and versatile interior; distinctive design; electric versionCould be better: Fuel-efficient base engine only available with FWD Most subcompact luxury models feel a bit like cheap knockoffs of their bigger, pricier brand mates. The XC40, by contrast, is a break from the Volvo norm in a good way.

Aston Martin updates its logo for the eighth time in its history

Whoa, easy on the squinting there, folks. We know, the new Aston Martin logo looks basically the same as the old one. But we promise, it has changed. Here, take a look at the old one (below, left) next to the new one (below, right). There, now do you see it? Aston dropped the single vertical line at the bottom and the inverted arch. Also, the lines are thicker. It's like Aston Martin highlighted the badge and clicked "bold." It also happens to be the eighth redesign of the logo. The original appeared on Astons in 1920, with subsequent designs launching in 1927, 1930, 1932, 1954, 1984, 2003, and now. You can see all of them in order below. Aston Martin Badge 1920 View 8 Photos Aston probably wouldn't be that put off by us describing the new logo as the old one, but "bold," because the company's new tag line follows suit: "Intensity. Driven." Yes, the tag line is basically a synonym for "bold." Aston says the new branding is part of a new focus on providing luxury cars with maximum performance. It also seems to reflect the brand's upcoming roster of mid-engine sports cars with the F1-inspired Valkyrie (above, left), now in production, and the less extreme Valhalla (above, right), the latter of which will start deliveries in 2024. The new badging will appear on the Aston Martin F1 cars, and will also appear on these new-generation Aston sports cars. Related video:

Saudi wealth fund to become Aston Martin's second-largest shareholder

Aston Martin's shares jumped 20% on Friday after the British luxury carmaker announced an capital raising that will see Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) become its second-largest shareholder with an almost 17% stake. PIF's 78 million pound investment, together with a 575 million pound rights issue, will allow the 109-year-old company lower its debt and invest in new models. PIF will own a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin and will be entitled to two board seats, behind the 18.3% holding Chairman Lawrence Stroll's Yew Tree will have after the rights issue. The sovereign wealth fund, which owns stakes in electric carmaker Lucid Motors and British supercar group McLaren has been diversifying its oil-rich investment portfolio. For Aston Martin, the preferred ride of fictional secret agent James Bond which has gone bankrupt seven times in its history, the investment means it can secure its long-term future. Its current second-largest shareholder, German carmaker Mercedes-Benz AG will own about 9.7% after the capital raising. Debt-Ridden Inheritance "In 2020, I inherited a business in deep trouble that needed to be reset," Stroll told reporters. COVID-19 lockdowns and the disruption to global supply chains has slowed the company's recovery, he added. Half of the new capital will be used to repay debt that stood at 957 million pounds at the end of March. The company also pushed back the date at which it will start producing cash from 2023 to 2024. The carmaker said former owner Italian investment group Investindustrial and China's Geely had proposed up to 1.3 billion pounds in funds last week, which the board rejected. The pair would have injected 203 million pounds for a stake, making them the largest shareholder. Stroll said the proposal would have been highly dilutive to shareholders and believed it was a takeover offer in disguise. ($1 = 0.8446 pounds) (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Tomasz Janowski and Louise Heavens) Earnings/Financials Aston Martin

Sir David Brown's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 C is for sale

In 1946, David Brown answered a classified ad in the London Times selling a "High Class Motor Business" for GBP30,000. That business turned out to be Aston Martin, which Brown bought a year later for GBP20,500. According to the Bank of England, he paid nearly GBP600,000 in today's dollars, about $736,000 U.S. He didn't do a bad job with it, attaching his name to the DB series of sports cars from DB1 to DB6 and DBS that won Le Mans and became the preferred choice of real royalty and a fictional secret agent, buying Lagonda to get the straight-six engine for Aston Martin that had been designed by W.O. Bentley, and setting up the coachworks at Newport Pagnell, still considered the historic home of hand-built Astons. All of this, along with wartime contributions on the tractor side, helped make him Sir David Brown, and one of his cars is for sale.  Brown's daily driver was allegedly a Jaguar XJ because of its friendlier running costs compared to his company's products, so there won't be too many ex-David Brown Aston Martins around. He ordered this DB5 Convertible in Caribbean Pearl with a Navy Blue interior and matching top a year after the model hit the market, when Aston Martin began selling it with the new five-speed ZF transmission. The droptop also got a Motorola radio, chrome wire wheels, and the 3.77:1 Power Lock rear differential. He held onto chassis DB5C/1273/R for three years before passing it on to an Aston Martin garage proprietor, who took excellent care of it. A full overhaul in 2014 rebuilt all of the mechanicals, retrimmed the interior, and applied a new paint job from the metal up.  Just over 99,000 miles have accrued on the chassis to now. UK specialist shop Nicholas Mee sold this car in 1994, and is doing so again with an asking price of GBP1,150,000 ($1.4 million U.S.). That sum includes a fresh service, registration, a 12-month warranty, and original accessories like the tool roll, mallet, jack, and owner's manual. Related video:

2022 Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance Mega Gallery | The show in pictures

COMO, Italy — Held annually, the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance is, in many ways, Europe's version of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It takes place in a beautiful location, and it brings together an impressive selection of rare and valuable cars. It's a real treat for the eyes, the ears, and, if you're into champagne, the palate. The 2022 edition of the show was no exception: About 50 cars were shipped to Lake Como from over a dozen countries, and it wasn't just the usual suspects. Sure, there were a lot of pre-war cars (including a couple of one-off models), but some of the icons that younger enthusiasts grew up with (like the Lamborghini Countach) were present as well. This year's event was split into eight categories: The Art Deco Era of Motor Car Design, The Supercharged Mercedes-Benz, How Grand Entrances Were Once Made, Eight Decades of Ferrari Represented in Eight Icons, "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday," BMW's M Cars and Their Ancestors, Pioneers That Chased the Magic 300 KPH, And a design award for concept and prototypes. The jury gave the coveted "best of show" award to a 1937 Bugatti 57 S owned by Andrew Picker of Monaco, while the aforementioned classes were won by, respectively: The Bugatti 57 S, shown below, A 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet, A 1956 Chrysler Boano Coupe Speciale, A 1966 Ferrari 356 P Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti, A 1961 Porsche 356 B Carrera Abarth GTL, A 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL, A 1989 Porsche 959 Sport, And the Bugatti Bolide concept unveiled in 2020. Winning at Villa d'Este is a big deal: The cars are judged by a panel of highly experienced judges. No one gave me a scoring sheet, presumably out of fear that I'd award points to the late-model Fiat 600 lurking in the parking lot, but several cars that didn't win an award caught my eye. One is a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports, a grand-prix racer that was once owned by King Leopold III of Belgium and that has never been restored — its patina is inimitable. Another is a 1961 BMW 700 RS. One of two built (the other is in the BMW collection), it's a tiny, ultra-light roadster related to the 700 and powered by a 697-cubic-centimeter air-cooled flat-twin tuned to develop 70 horsepower. It won several hill-climb events during the 1960s, and it's one of the rarest cars ever to wear a BMW roundel. Aston Martin's freshly-restored 1979 Bulldog concept was cool to see as well; check out the cassette player integrated into the headliner!

First production 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 is completed

Aston Martin's new super SUV has now reached production, and the first example will be headed to its owner soon. The first 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 is a lovely blue example with a matching blue interior. And based on our time behind the wheel recently, it should be a blast to drive. The DBX 707 is based on the regular DBX, but output from the AMG twin-turbo V8 has been turned up to 697 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque. That's enough for Aston Martin to proudly claim the title of most powerful gas-powered SUV. Though, if it had released a little earlier, it wouldn't have that title, either due to the one-year-only, 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat or the actually 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (which is between generations now). And if you were to include EVs, the Tesla Model X Plaid's 1,020 horsepower handily has it beat. Still, the DBX 707 is impressive and very fast. It will get to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and has an incredible top speed of 193 mph. To our knowledge, that does give it the title of fastest SUV, period, which is something to be proud of. The chassis has been thoroughly upgraded, too, with better brakes and suspension, which we've found to be excellent. All of the DBX 707's customers are going to be quite wealthy. The super SUV starts at $239,086 before any options. Options can add up fast, as our first drive test car reached nearly $300,000. Related Video:

A hybrid and electric Corvette, plus we drive the Ioniq 5 | Autoblog Podcast #728

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Zac drove the electric 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Greg drove the fire-breathing 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo. The two dive deep into the relatively heavy news week by starting off with a discussion about the upcoming hybrid Corvette before chatting about what the electric Corvette might be like. They have a chat about the possibility of Porsche and Audi officially joining the Formula 1 field. Then, Greg and Zac get into some quick-hitting news to round out the segment by dissecting the updated Kia Soul (now without a turbo), the 30th Anniversary Edition Land Rover Defender and the new CEO at Aston Martin. Following the news and drive reviews, they rope in Senior Editor, Green John Beltz Snyder to give them a quick download of what went down at the first drive for the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning. Finally, they reach into the mailbag and answer some questions from someone who is less than pleased about infotainment systems in some new cars. And lastly, the gang hears back from someone they helped out in a prior Spend My Money segment on the podcast. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #728 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News The hybrid AWD Corvette and the electric Corvette Audi and Porsche to enter Formula 1 Land Rover Defender 30th Anniversary model 2023 Kia Soul refresh A new CEO at Aston Martin Cars we're driving 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dispatch from the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning first drive in Texas Mailbag: A discussion about complicated infotainment systems Also, trading a Model 3 for an Escape PHEV? Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives.

Amadeo Felisa replaces Tobias Moers as Aston Martin CEO

Aston Martin Lagonda on Wednesday named former Ferrari boss Amedeo Felisa as its new chief executive officer as the British luxury carmaker works on emulating the Italian carmaker's success and electrifying its brand. Felisa will take over with immediate effect from Tobias Moers, who joined the company in 2020 from shareholder Mercedes-Benz's high-performance AMG brand and served as CEO and chief technical officer. Felisa currently serves on Aston Martin's board and led Ferrari between 2008 and 2016 when it was still part of the Fiat group. Most recently, Felisa served as a special adviser to Silk-FAW, a joint venture between U.S.-based automotive engineering and design firm Silk EV and Chinese automaker FAW. Billionaire Lawrence Stroll drove to the rescue of James Bond's car brand of choice less than two years ago while it struggled after a disastrous IPO. Stroll has overseen a manufacturing makeover at Aston Martin to lift margins and help it become more like rival Ferrari with more customized car orders. Now the carmaker's largest shareholder and executive chairman, Stroll told Reuters that Moers had stabilized the company when it "needed immediate manufacturing, operation attention" but now Aston Martin needed a CEO to "focus on the bigger picture". "Nobody knows how to make ultra-luxury performance cars better than Amedeo," Stroll said. "He saw the movie, he wrote the script." Aston Martin plans to launch its first fully-electric car in 2025. Aston also named former Ferrari and BMW executive Roberto Fedeli as its chief technical officer. The latest appointments come just months after the company's former chief financial office also left Aston Martin. Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois wrote in a client note that Aston Martin's new CFO and the appointment of Felisa "will hopefully help stabilize management across the company". On Wednesday, Aston Martin reported a wider pretax loss of 111.6 million pounds ($139.15 million) for the first quarter, compared with a loss of 42.2 million pounds a year earlier, which was largely in line with expectations. Related video: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Aston Martin

Aston Martin's Racing.Green. strategy lays out sustainability goals

Last year, Aston Martin co-owner Lawrence Stroll said the automaker had two electric vehicles in the pipeline, company CEO Tobias Moers saying the first electric model would show in 2024 or 2025. The English luxury sports car concern has outlined its plans in a new strategy called Racing.Green. — which we will write without the two periods from now on. The major goals of Racing Green are getting a hybrid vehicle to market in 2024, getting the first electric vehicle to market in 2025, phasing the last pure ICE cars out of the lineup in 2026, and offering a fully electrified portfolio by 2030.  Supporting the product goals, Aston Martin says its UK manufacturing facilities have utilized 100% renewable energy since 2019; Racing Green aims for net zero manufacturing emissions by 2030. The St. Athan facility in Wales will be fitted with 14,000 solar panels, enough to provide 20% of the plant's yearly energy use. When taking Aston Martin's entire supply chain into account, the initiative wants a 30% reduction in supply chain emissions relative to a 2020 baseline by 2030, and net zero supply chain emissions by 2039. On that subject, engineers are looking at using aluminum alloy created with 100% renewable energy. Even plastics and water are targeted, the company hoping to "eliminate all plastic packaging waste" within three years and reduce water use by 15%.    As to the product, that first PHEV is going to be the Valhalla and its English-tailored, AMG-sourced, 937-horsepower plug-in powertrain. We still don't know what the first electric model will be the following year, but the DBX makes an obvious candidate. And just a year after that, every model the firm sells will provide the option of an electrified powertrain, the pure ICE models phased out of the range. There will be more choice for interiors, too, in the form of leather-free vegan options. Those goals will occur within a company-wide sustainability, diversity, and inclusion overhaul with peer-reviewed chops. Aston Martin joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which helps businesses reduce greenhouse gas emissions "in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement." The automaker says Racing Green is also "aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals." In-house compliance with the strategy will be monitored by a board-level Sustainability Committee chaired by non-executive director Dr. Anne Stevens.