The Envy Of The Luxury Sport Market on 2040-cars

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The Rolls-Royce Dawn leads this month's list of discounts

If you're one of the few readers of this site who is in the market for a $350,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn, well, first of all, good for you. And you should be prepared to keep some extra money in your pocket, too, as the drop-top Roller leads this month's list of the largest monetary discounts with an average of $14,733 taken off the machine's $359,250 sticker price. That means buyers are paying an average transaction price of $344,517 for the 2020 Rolls-Royce Dawn this month, according to data provided to Autoblog by TrueCar, which equals about 4.1% off the price on the sticker. An intriguing pair of supercars land in second and third positions this month. The 2019 Acura NSX is selling for an average of $145,174 this month, which represents a 9% discount, or $14,373. With an eerily similar 9% discount of $14,079 comes the 2020 Aston Martin Vantage, which has an average transaction price of $142,002 this month. The Maserati Quattroporte is up next with an average discount of $13,634. Another Rolls-Royce model lands in the fifth spot, but instead of the aging Dawn it's the brand-new Cullinan SUV. Although the luxury 'ute boasts a large discount of $12,427, its staggeringly high retail price of $332,750 means buyers are getting a little less than 4% off the sticker. More interesting to most buyers will be the 2019 Lincoln Navigator, which is one of our favorite full-size SUVs in America. Buyers of Lincoln's range-topping vehicle are getting average discounts of $11,761. That represents a 13.4% savings for a final price of $75,940. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. Related Video:

Aston Martin mulls Formula E, but one thing must change

It may be the off-season, but Formula E is on fire. It seems that everybody is scrambling for a spot on the grid. Jaguar relaunched its racing program in the electric series, and is doubling down with a support series. Audi took a more prominent position for next season. BMW's in. Mercedes-Benz will be joining, too. Porsche has ditched WEC for Formula E. FCA is interested. So it shouldn't be too surprising, then, that Aston Martin is now considering a Formula E entry, as Automotive News Europe reports. Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told the outlet that the series could support the company's development of electric vehicles, such as the upcoming RapidE, pictured above. "We don't have an electric car yet, but we will have in 2019," he said. "You can imagine the two coming together. I love Formula E." Palmer said, though, that Aston Martin wouldn't want to join the series until it does away with car swaps mid-race. "For me, the use of the two cars reinforces the range anxiety," Palmer told Automotive News Europe. "That will change, and then it starts to get interesting." In the past, other automakers have expressed similar concerns about car swaps. The upcoming season will be the last to use the practice, and Formula E will move toward using a single car per driver for each race beginning in the 2018-19 season. Aston Martin scaled back plans for the RapidE electric car after its partner LeEco pulled out of the project. Instead, Aston Martin will rely on the engineering expertise of Williams, and limit the RapidE to 155 units, priced at around $255,000. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin RapidE concept View 12 Photos News Source: Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Aston Martin Green Motorsports Aston Martin Electric Racing Vehicles Formula E aston martin rapide fia formula e championship

Aston Martin working on an inline-six to replace Mercedes-sourced V8?

There's no straight line to figuring out whether Aston Martin plans a straight-six motor for future products. In March, comments by the automaker's chief engineer for vehicle attributes, Matt Becker, led many to believe the British firm could use the Mercedes-AMG 3.0-liter hybridized inline-six from the new CLS53. A week later, Becker said his comments had been misconstrued, that he "was speaking in more general terms that we might have to one day look at downsizing engines." Autocar just threw a new curve, citing "a source close to the firm" to report that Aston Martin's working on its own straight-six. The English outlet says the deal Aston Martin signed with Mercedes-AMG was a stopgap deal while Aston Martin worked on proprietary engines. The report says the inline-six developed in Gaydon would eventually replace the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 currently powering the DB11 and Vantage. If this purported inline-six were augmented with electrification, perhaps developed with help from the electric Rapid E program, it could make more sense of Becker's first, misconstrued comments. At the time, Becker said the Mercedes hybridized engine "could fit with the brand in the future." Taken generally, he could have meant an Aston Martin version of the German engine. The certainty is that there's a six-cylinder coming for larger-volume series production models, yet the reports and denials put competing rumors and powerplants in play. Aston Martin installs a 5.2-liter V12 in the DBS Superleggera, and Autocar suspects an inline-six could be derived from that engine. The automaker already has a six-cylinder in development, though, that being the turbocharged hybrid V6 said to be headed to the Ferrari- and McLaren-fighting Valhalla. Creating two new six-cylinder engines in different formats seems an odd choice for a tiny manufacturer. What about the rumors that say the DBX crossover could get a six-cylinder? In July, when Motoring asked chief creative officer Marek Reichman about it, he said the DBX "could [use a Mercedes-sourced six-cylinder], because that would be a pretty good engine and combination. Potentially." Autocar suggests, however, that the DBX will be first in line for the in-house inline engine. Aston Martin has a storied history with the inline-six, all of them with links to other automakers. The legendary inline-six in the original DB cars of the mid-20th century were originally drawn up by Walter Owen Bentley - yes, that W.O.