2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Cabriolet on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin rules out going downmarket

When Aston Martin sat alongside Jaguar under the Ford umbrella, the two had to be careful not to step on each other's toes. That kept the top end of Jaguar's sports and GT lineup at bay, and in the years since they parted company, Jaguar has steadily moved up-market with new versions of the XK and now with the new F-Type. But does that mean Aston Martin will in turn start offering cheaper models? "No, not at this stage," Aston's US chief Julian Jenkins told AutoGuide.com. "If there is an opportunity that we can sit comfortably within we will go after it." But for the time being, the V8 Vantage will remain the brand's entry-level model, coming in just under the $100K mark in base Vantage GT trim. Enthusiasts will remember the Cygnet, a version of the Toyota/Scion iQ which Aston reskinned and sold to customers looking for a more compact, economical mode of transportation without skimping on luxury. But that model never made it to North America, and lasted only a few years before being discontinued in 2013. More recently, Aston branched into the four-door market, first with the Rapide and now with the Lagonda Taraf. The Lagonda Taraf is a four-door luxury sedan initially launched in the Persian Gulf, but under consideration for additional markets. The company has been on and off the fence regarding launching a crossover SUV like the Lagonda concept it showcased at the 2009 Geneva auto show to lukewarm reception. If Aston were to proceed with such plans, it would be up against the likes of the upcoming Jaguar F-Pace, Bentley Bentayga and Maserati Levante.

Aston Martin DBX spied with Mercedes-inspired interior exposed

Aston is out doing performance testing on its new SUV, the DBX. One of our spy photographers caught it running around the Nurburgring a short while ago, and now we have sound to go along with it. There are also a few shots of the interior that show off some of Mercedes' contributions to the crossover. If we had to guess, we'd say Mercedes-AMG is also providing the loud beast hiding underneath the hood, too. In listening to the DBX pounding around the Ring, it sounds a whole lot like the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 found in all the extra-hot AMG vehicles, from the AMG GT to the GLC 63. It's a guttural, nasty sound we've grown accustomed to out of these vehicles, and now that Aston is already using this engine for the DB11 and V8 Vantage, it's no stretch to think they'd use it again. The interior features a lot of Mercedes switchgear upon close inspection. It's impossible to confirm, but the font, menus and layout of the infotainment system look a whole lot like MBUX. Then the array of climate controls, rotary knob and buttons around it look just like the stuff out of a modern Mercedes. If you zoom way in on the key sitting in the dash, we can even see a little of what might be a three-pointed star on it. At any rate, the key is identical to what new Mercedes keys look like today. Moving on to the steering wheel, we see the exact same setup as what's on the spokes of pretty much every Mercedes equipped with MBUX. Everything down to the symbols and black touch-sensitive buttons show up here. It's important to remember this vehicle is still a prototype, so things could change. As for the exterior, we don't get to see anything new there beyond what Aston officially released awhile back. It's still wearing all the same camouflage, touting sponsors/suppliers to go along with the same zany green, yellow and red look. Aston has previously said the DBX will be officially revealed before the end of this year, and we'll expect it to go on sale in 2020.

Aston Martin recalls 7,000+ vehicles over seat heaters

We've seen vehicles being recalled for all sorts of reasons: ignitions switching off, airbags inflating prematurely, brake lines leaking fluid... but this latest one from Aston Martin is for the seat heater. So what, rich folks won't be able to drive their Volantes with the roof down when it gets cold, you say? Tragic though that would surely be, we're afraid this problem lies at the opposite end of the spectrum: seat heaters that won't turn off. The danger that poses, according to the statement below from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is that the seats could start to smolder. And that doesn't sound like fun. The issue affects just about the entire Aston range, including the DB9, DBS, Virage, V8 Vantage and V12 Vantage, covering the 2006-2014 model years and manufactured between July 3, 2006 and November 5, 2014. That's pretty much everything Aston makes, save for the four-door Rapide, the newer Vanquish, the rare One-77 and the overseas-only Cygnet. So you'd figure that would add up to a lot of vehicles, and we suppose it does, considering the niche market in which Aston competes. All told, the recall affects an estimated 7,256 units across the United States, the owners of which will need to bring their luxury GTs into their local dealer to have an additional circuit module installed that will cut the power to the seat heaters in case the control module fails. Featured Gallery 2013 Aston Martin DB9: Review View 28 Photos News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Recalls Aston Martin Convertible Coupe Luxury Performance aston martin v8 vantage aston martin db9 aston martin v12 vantage seat heaters