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Aston Martin considering US plant for DBX production

Aston Martin could be the next foreign automaker to begin production in the United States, according to the latest report from the Financial Times. The British automaker is reportedly considering a number of possibilities to handle assembly of the production version of the DBX crossover concept presented in March. Among them is the prospect of building a new plant in a Southern state like South Carolina or Tennessee, which could bring with it significant tax breaks and other incentives that would ease the process and make it financially attractive. Aston's main plant at Gaydon, UK, is reportedly nearing capacity as the company ramps up production, with a series of new models on the way. It moved production of the Rapide, its only model produced overseas, back to Gaydon in 2012 after it was initially handled off-site by Magna Steyr in Austria. That doesn't mean that the US proposal will necessary get the nod, though. Another possibility Aston is considering is taking over the former Jaguar facility at Browns Lane in nearby Coventry. The DBX concept was unveiled as an electric crossover coupe at the Geneva Motor Show last month, showing the way forward for the brand. The production version is expected to adopt a more conventional setup with four proper doors and an internal-combustion engine.

Tesla layoffs, new safety mandates, and a bumper crop of V12s! | Autoblog Podcast #830

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd for a gasoline-powered installment. They lead off by diving into the Tesla layoff news from this week before leaving electrification behind for a bit to talk about not one, but two production V12 unveilings. This isn't a drill, folks; Aston Martin and Ferrari are both committed. After that, they touch on the U.S. government announcement that it would mandate automatic emergency braking systems starting in 2029. They finish up the news segment with a chat about Fisker. Poor, poor Fisker. From there, it's on to the road tests. The Autoblog team has been testing out some EVs and both Byron and Greg had some thoughts to share, plus we get a final update from Byron on the long-term Subaru WRX and some notes from both drivers about the updated Range Rover Evoque.  Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #830 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News Axing Tesla's Supercharger department raises worries as other automakers join network Fisker tells its staff that four companies are interested in buying it Ferrari confirms the 812 Superfast's successor will keep the V12 alive Aston Martin isn't done with V12s, it redesigns the engine U.S. to require automatic emergency braking on new vehicles What we've been driving 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 2021 Tesla Model Y 2024 Range Rover Evoque Long-term Subaru WRX Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Government/Legal Green Podcasts Aston Martin Ferrari Hyundai Land Rover Subaru Tesla Convertible Coupe Crossover SUV Electric Performance Sedan

Pre-Race notes from the 2015 Nurburgring 24-Hours

Autoblog has come to the German countryside to watch the Nurburgring 24-Hour race, and just one day in, we have to say it's outstanding. Le Mans has been the highlight of our summer racing schedule for the past few years, the 'Ring 24-Hour event being the appetizer we always skipped. Earlier this year, however, while visiting Miami to check out the Cigarette Racing 50 Marauder GT S, we met Scott Preacher. He oversees digital marketing for both Cigarette and AMG during the week, then comes to Germany to compete in the VLN race series on the weekends, driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for Team Mathol. If Le Mans is the Oscars of endurance racing, the Nurburgring 24-Hour race is the Screen Actors Guild award – the one voted on by the actors, for the actors. In this case it's the race by the teams and fans, for the teams and fans, even though the increasing manufacturer presence has altered the team equation. We were told that it wasn't so long ago that true privateers could win the overall, but that's not really the case anymore. Front-running teams have heavy factory involvement – Audi Sport Team Phoenix, for instance, which finished in first and third last year, has its own 'Ring race center and is running the 2016 R8; Aston Martin is represented by Aston Martin Racing and Aston Martin Test Center, and Bentley has a Bentley Motors team and uses HPT to run another team. The fan component hasn't changed, though, and you can't talk about the race for more than 60 seconds before someone brings up the battalions of spectators. Every driver we spoke to cited them as the most incredible part of this race after the track itself. It feels to us like a giant German Sebring, with thousands of people camped out in the ginormous, forested infield, many of whom have been here since Monday erecting their ornate camping compounds. There will be parties everywhere Saturday night, and so much bratwurst on the grill that the drivers can smell it when as they're blasting full speed through Wehrseifen. Even when we drove a Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe on a lap before the race, the fans waved like it was a competition. Scott Preacher's Australian co-driver Robert Thompson said, "You come around a corner and it's like you're driving full speed through the middle of a carnival." The race field itself could also be called a carnival, with an officially invited field of more than 170 cars. Even on a track that's 24.4-km long, that's like racing on the 405 at midday.