2010 Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Rare 6 Speed Manual | 9k Miles | Clean!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Geely in talks to take a stake in Aston Martin

China’s Geely Automobile Holding held talks with Aston Martin management and investors as it considers investing into the British luxury carmaker, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Geely is conducting due diligence as it looks at taking a stake in the 107-year-old UK firm, which warned earlier this week its 2019 profits would by cut nearly in half due to weak European markets. Another report out today said that Aston had canceled its RapidE electric car because of its financial situation. Geely owns controlling stake in another British car company, Lotus, and also the London EV Company, which makes London cabs. It also owns Volvo and a nearly 10% stake in Daimler. Aston Martin was not immediately available for comment. Geely did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  Related Video:     Earnings/Financials Green Aston Martin Geely

British carmakers facing hard choices as the clock ticks toward Brexit

ST ATHAN, Wales/GAYDON, England - In three cavernous former Royal Air Force hangars at an old airbase in Wales, luxury carmaker Aston Martin is forging ahead with construction of a new vehicle assembly plant. The paint shop is in, robots are being unpacked, and production of the company's critical new sport utility vehicle is on track to start this year – Brexit deal or no deal. "I still have to believe that we'll get to a proper and right decision because a no-deal Brexit is frankly madness," Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Reuters at the company's Gaydon headquarters in England, where designers are working on a diverse lineup of vehicles for the 2020s and beyond. Headlines have focused on plant closures and job losses ahead of Britain's divorce from the EU. Nissan has scrapped plans to build its new X-Trail SUV in the country, while Honda will close its only UK car plant in 2021 with the loss of up to 3,500 jobs - though it has been said the decision was not related to Britain's exit from the EU. However, many auto companies - from luxury marques like Aston Martin to mass-market brands such as Vauxhall - are working on ways to survive after March 29. On the outskirts of London, workers at Vauxhall's operation in Luton are preparing to produce a new line of commercial vans following fresh investment from the brand's French owner PSA, which they are counting on to sustain more than 1,000 jobs. While post-Brexit market conditions remain a big unknown, Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman told Reuters Britain's exit from the European Union could present an opportunity to increase the brand's market share. He is pursuing a marketing campaign to boost demand for the company's modestly priced cars and SUVs. The continued investment by some carmakers and the potential sales upside seen by Vauxhall reflect the conflicting decisions and opportunities that brands face depending on their size, their customers and where they are in the production cycle. All automakers in Britain will have to find ways to make Brexit work, even if only in the short term. Nissan builds nearly 450,000 cars and multiple models, making it hard to pull out of the country any time soon. Toyota builds just one model in Britain, the Corolla, but has only just started making it. The typical life cycle of a car is six years. RACKS OF DASHBOARDS Aston Martin and Vauxhall are as different as two auto companies can be.

Aston Martin building 28 Goldfinger DB5 reproductions — complete with gadgets

The Lego iteration of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 featured in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" is a pretty cool toy for any Bond fan, what with its full suite of movie gadgetry. But for the well-heeled 007 fan, Aston Martin has something even more special in store. The car company announced that it will build a grand total of 28 full-size reproductions of the famous movie sports car. It won't simply be a DB5 in the correct color, either. The company is teaming up with the special effects supervisor from the most recent James Bond films, a man who, according to IMDb, has been working on Bond movies at some level since " The Spy Who Loved Me" and was the special-effects supervisor on the the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy and the two latest numbered installments of the " Star Wars" series, to build the cars with "functioning gadgets such as revolving number plates and more." The "and more" part has us particularly intrigued. We imagine the tracking computer and bulletproof shield are simple enough. But the hideaway machine guns and ejector seat might be tricky. Regardless, you won't be able to deploy any of the gadgets on public roads, as Aston Martin explicitly states the cars won't be street legal. We're sure that won't keep Aston from finding buyers for these dream DB5s. The price tag probably won't deter serious buyers, either. The company says each car will sell for 2,750,000 pounds, which comes to $3,510,000 at current exchange rates. Of the 28 cars, 25 will be sold directly to customers. The remaining three will include one for Aston Martin, one for EON Productions, the company that produces Bond movies, and one that will auctioned for charity. Aston estimates the first cars will be delivered in 2020. Related Video: Featured Gallery James Bond's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 View 61 Photos News Source: Aston Martin, IMDbImage Credit: RM Auctions / RM Sotheby's TV/Movies Aston Martin Coupe Special and Limited Editions Classics aston martin db5