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Aston Martin DBX SUV officially enters production

On one hand, now is the perfect time for Aston Martin's very first production SUV to roll off the assembly line. Because there's nothing like an expensive luxury sport utility vehicle to rake in some cash when the going gets tough, as has been the case for the premium British automaker since it launched its stock IPO in 2018. On the other hand, even a flashy utility vehicle faces major headwinds in these difficult times as the coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate headlines. In any case, the Aston Martin DBX has officially entered production at the automaker's facility at St Athan in Wales. The first model was painted in a lovely hue that the automaker calls Stirling Green and that otherwise adorns Aston Martin's racing vehicles. The company says it has received more than 2,000 orders for the DBX so far, and the first deliveries will begin later this month. A milestone moment. Just over four years since we announced our investment in a brand new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales, the first Aston Martin to be “Hand Made in Wales” – DBX - has been driven off the production line.#AstonMartin #DBX #BeautifulIsRelentless pic.twitter.com/nI5V7BaZWr — Aston Martin (@astonmartin) July 9, 2020 Marek Reichman, executive vice president and chief creative officer, said from the launch, “We are incredibly proud of our first SUV, which is as much of an Aston Martin as any one of our sports cars. From my design team to the engineers, the vehicle dynamics team and all the experts who hand-craft this beautiful car, here at St Athan, the DBX has become the car that will drive Aston Martin into a bold new era.” Here's hoping Reichman is right and that Aston Martin can turn its fading fortunes around. Related Video:

Aston Martin Vantage vs. Mercedes-AMG GT C Review | Translating German into English

GROssBRITANNIEN — No car matches the new Aston Martin Vantage as closely as the Mercedes-AMG GT, the two sharing both their 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and electrical architecture while competing for the same market niche. So, of the many challenges Aston Martin faced when developing it, ensuring that the Vantage had a unique identity must have weighed more heavily than any other. The added spice to this confrontation is the GT's status as halo model for AMG. Meanwhile, Aston Martin's brand identity, built on the sharp-suited machismo embodied by a certain big-screen spy, is a make-or-break issue for the company. The identity problem has fascinated me since the AMG deal was first announce in 2013. So exploring the Vantage on British roads with the GT literally filling the mirrors is a big deal. Now, finally, we have directly competing products with which to explore the theory. And there's much to like in both, not least of which is that common powerhouse of an engine. While they don't share a platform, both use the classic front-engine, rear-drive, transaxle layout, with traditional driving manners to match. Some quick number-crunching as an appetizer: The AMG GT C you see here has the dry-sumped M178 derivative of the V8, with 550 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque, driving the rear wheels through a transaxle-mounted, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and fully active electronic locking differential. It's 179 inches long, weighs 3,748 pounds and will clear 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds en route to 197 mph. The Vantage has the wet-sumped M177 version of the same engine, as featured in countless AMGs and shared with the DB11 V8. It makes 503 hp, 505 lb-ft and drives the rear wheels through a transaxle-mounted, eight-speed automatic gearbox and fully active electronic locking differential. Sounding familiar? It's comparable in overall length but a couple of inches longer in wheelbase, and weighs pretty much the same as the GT C, give or take a few pounds. It hits 60 in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 195 mph. Both have adaptive dampers and a variety of driver modes, both are built from aluminum and both are at the sportier end of the GT spectrum. The two U.K.-market cars you see here cost just more than $180,000 with options. Pretty darned close, then. Numbers are one thing.

Prince Charles visits Aston Martin with his Aston, helps build a DBX, draws tabloid ire

A very British thing happened this week: Prince Charles visited Aston Martin's new factory in St. Athen, driving there in his own Aston Martin. He took his DB6 that over a decade ago was converted to run on waste wine (yes, really) and was used in William and Kate's wedding. His visit included touring the new factory that will build the 2020 Aston Martin DBX, as well as talking with Aston's apprentices. A plaque was placed to commemorate the visit. Aston also let him put the finishing touch on a DBX, placing the front badge. The bad news is, no one will be able to say their DBX was partly made by royalty, as the car Prince Charles finished was a pre-production model. The good news is that customer DBXs will have their badges applied professionally, and while Prince Charles' badge placement skills may be fine, we trust the pros to ensure secure and aligned fitment. Maybe we shouldn't pile on, after all, Prince Charles attracted the ire of a British publication called Express. The tabloid secured footage of Charles pulling up to the factory in the DB6, and proceeded to deride a lack of turn signal and clipping the center line while making the turn. Of course if you watch the video yourself, you'll see that, yes, he did fail to signal, but otherwise his turn seemed entirely boring and inoffensive. We at Autoblog see vastly worse driving on a daily basis, so we think the tabloids ought to cut Charles a break on that turn.