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Aston Martin Valhalla project rebooted with Mercedes-Benz technology

Aston Martin will leverage its access to the Mercedes-Benz parts shelf to revise the Valhalla it plans to release in the coming years. Specifications haven't been finalized yet, but the supercar will most likely arrive with a German heart. Announced in early 2019 as the Project 003, and named Valhalla later that year, the Ferrari-punching model was on track to make its debut with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 mounted behind its passenger compartment. Aston Martin proudly pointed out that the six was the first engine it developed in-house since the Tadek Marek-designed 5.3-liter V8 entered production in 1969. These plans changed after Daimler purchased a 20% stake in the firm, however. Aston Martin boss Tobias Moers (whose last position was at the head of Mercedes-AMG) told investors that his team is "re-assessing" the Valhalla, and that it will "probably have a different drivetrain" than the concept. He didn't reveal what the model will be powered by, and he stressed that nothing is off the table. Mercedes-Benz has a wide range of four-, six-, eight-, and 12-cylinder engines in its parts bin, plus hybrid technology and electric motors. Electrification remains in the pipeline regardless of the path the company chooses to take. "With the transformational technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz, there are other chances for us regarding combustion engines, but we still have an electrified drivetrain," he said without providing more specific details. It sounds like Aston will make visual tweaks to the Valhalla, too, because Moers revealed that buyers will be shown an updated version of the car in the next four months. It's unclear whether it will be presented to the public, too. Regardless, the car's introduction is tentatively scheduled for late 2023, so it will likely arrive here as a 2024 model. Moers confirmed that a plug-in hybrid model with what he described as "a reasonable electric range" will join the Aston Martin range in the coming years, too. He added that three new variants of the DBX, the firm's first SUV, are on their way as well. One is a plug-in hybrid. Details about the others aren't known, but another could be a sportier version positioned at the top of the range. Finally, the first electric Aston Martin will arrive in about 2025.

Aston Martin and Zagato will offer $7.9M limited edition sold only in pairs

Aston Martin and Zagato are planning to collaborate for a limited production run of a couple of incredible cars it's calling the DBZ Centenary Collection. There will be 19 DB4 GT Zagato Continuation cars and 19 DBS GT Zagatos made. These cars are only to be sold as pairs, meaning you get one DB4 and one DBS (based on the 2019 DBS Superleggera) when you buy. So why are Aston and Zagato doing this? Well, Zagato reaches its 100th anniversary in 2019, so a celebration is clearly in order. Aston Martin and Zagato have quite the storied recent and not-so-recent past. You might remember that Aston unleashed 25 DB4 GT Continuation cars sans Zagato earlier this year. The idea is the same here, but Zagato gets included on this project. Back in 1960, Aston Martin and Zagato had planned to make a 25-car run of Zagato-bodied DB4s. When demand wasn't high enough, it was cut off at 19, which explains why it's making 19 cars today as well. Aston and Zagato created those DB4s to race against others like Ferrari in the '60s, and the Continuation DB4 Zagato will be sold as a race car as well. Set to be built at Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, England, the goal is to make the new car resemble the old as accurately as possible. At the same time, Aston is benefiting from modern engineering to make the car even better looking. So while it still uses a tubular frame and thin-gauge aluminum body panels, Aston also uses digital scanning technology to ensure the bodywork is absolutely perfect in fitment and consistency. Looking at the mechanical side of things, we've got an inline-six engine that makes 380 horsepower hooked up to a four-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. That's significantly more power than the 331 hp DB4 Continuation that Aston made before. The commitment to looking and feeling the part is there, but we really wonder how the driving experience differs from that of a Zagato from the '60s. That's only the first half of the pair. Wealthy owners will also receive a DBS GT Zagato. It's unclear exactly what that car will look like just yet, because Aston has only provided us with what looks like a rough design sketch. It says we'll see a fresh take on the "double-bubble" roof, new grille and a truncated tail to differentiate it from the run-of-the-mill DBS Superleggera. As a reminder, the DBS Superleggera has a 5.2-liter turbocharged V12 that makes 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque.

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