Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe, With 6 Speed. Only 10,000 Miles. 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.

2020 Aston Martin DBX pricing, interior revealed

We’ve gotten the rundown on the 2020 Aston Martin DBX's performance specs and heard the sound of its V8, seen the grille and learned about its dog-friendly Pet Pack and other accessories. There's also all those spy shots of mule versions running about. Now we have our first image of the interior and details on pricing of AstonÂ’s first SUV ahead of its Nov. 20 unveiling in Beijing. First up, the price. And it ainÂ’t cheap, but you knew that, because itÂ’s an Aston Martin. The off-road-capable luxury crossover will start at $189,900 here in the United States. That puts it in the rarified air of competitors like the Lamborghini Urus, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and the Bentley Bentayga. For that kind of cheddar, youÂ’d better be riding in style. The interior photo, taken from the rear seat looking forward, shows a butterscotch-colored cabin, with stitched leather seats, what appears to be an Alcantara headliner, backseat climate controls with vents in the center console and on the B-pillars and, up front, a large touchscreen framed in an oval-shaped cluster. Aston says the bridged center console offers storage space below for handbags or other large items. ThereÂ’s also a huge, full-length glass roof and broad side windows, and weÂ’re told — but offered no concrete measurements — of class-leading front and rear legroom, and an abundance of space throughout. Aston says it did extensive customer research and carefully consider the ergonomics needs of a broad range of male and female occupants, with more than six months alone dedicated to determining the exact and best position of the driver within the vehicle and a "Female Advisory Board" to help dictate the layout of dashboard controls. Aston also wants us to know that it gave special consideration to backseat passengers and children. The decision to use an all-new platform and its longer wheelbase allowed designers to optimize cabin space while keeping the low roofline. The DBX will produce 542 horspower and 516 pound-feet of torque from the twin-turbo 4.0-liter borrowed from Mercedes-AMG, making it the most powerful version of the engine used in an Aston. Order books open after the reveal later this month.

Red Bull and Aston Martin are working together on a supercar

Ever since Adrian Newey stepped back from the day-to-day at Red Bull Racing last year, we've been wondering what he would do next. And here we very well may have the answer. According to Autocar, the legendary F1 engineer is working on a hardcore, track-focused supercar for Aston Martin. Details are few and far between, but it is believed that the project could make use of a Mercedes engine and take aim at the likes of the Ferrari FXX K and McLaren P1 GTR. That's more or less the same territory Aston is already going after with the Vulcan (pictured), but just how closely aligned the two vehicles would be remains unclear. Newey is said to be keen on making the vehicle road-legal, however – something which the FXX K, P1 GTR, and Vulcan are not. The news comes hot on the heels of an earlier report that indicated Aston Martin and Red Bull were in discussions over a potential partnership in F1 (together with Mercedes). Both developments appear to be stemming from the same rapprochement between the two outfits, but are said to be independent of one another in that one could go ahead without the other. It is just one of several projects, however, that Newey is said to be evaluating in his capacity as head of Red Bull Technologies. It would not be the first time we would see a high-end automaker team up with an F1 team to create a supercar, after all. McLaren built the SLR for Mercedes before going it alone, and Jaguar more recently collaborated closely with Williams Advanced Engineering on the C-X75 concept, an experimental supercar project that was unfortunately aborted prior to reaching production. We'll be watching and hoping to see how the Aston Martin/Red Bull partnership pans out.