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Aston Martin says Alabama is 'obvious choice' for US plant

Aston Martin is gearing up to be the next foreign automaker to build an assembly plant in the United States – and it looks like it'll be in Alabama. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, company CEO Andy Palmer said that he and his team will make a decision on the prospect of building its second factory, and that the Yellowhammer State was the "obvious choice" for its location. The possibility first came up on our radar last month, after Aston reportedly held discussions with representatives of state governments in the South. The plant would be earmarked to handle production of the DBX. Slated to be the company's first crossover, it was previewed in concept form at the Geneva show in March. "Our principal customers will be in the United States and China," Palmer said to ANE. However, the US would apparently be preferable to building a plant in China, from which it would be more difficult to export vehicles to other markets and where Aston would need to form a joint venture with a local manufacturer. The prospect of building its plant in the same state where Mercedes builds its SUVs would offer certain advantages as well: Aston has inked a deal with the German automaker to supply some systems and components. The British automaker has also long-been rumored to be considering building a crossover based on the same platform as the GL-Class (soon to be redubbed GLS), although that may or may not take the form of the DBX. Aston Martin is working toward ramping up production from the 4,000 units it sold last year to as many as 15,000. "If we went to three shifts" at the current plant in Gaydon, said Palmer, "we would be at 15,000 a year, so theoretically we could do it but you'd have no room for stoppage for maintenance. Related Video:

Aston Martin teases extreme Vantage GT3 for Geneva

Aston Martin's Vantage range has been on the market for ten long years, dating back to the Ford era and making it just a bit younger than the DB9, but still ripe for replacement. And that's just what Aston Martin has in store, with a new platform under development and a new engine deal with Mercedes-AMG. But before a replacement arrives, the British automaker will send off the current Vantage with what promises to be its most extreme version yet. First mooted over a year ago and spied more recently undergoing testing at the Nurburgring, Aston has now released this teaser video announcing the upcoming debut of the Vantage GT3 to bridge the gap between the top-of-the-line V12 Vantage S road car and the competition-spec V12 Vantage GT3. As such, we're expecting it to pack the company's ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12 engine, likely with some upgrades: what produced 510 horsepower in the previous V12 Vantage and 565 hp in the newer V12 Vantage S is likely to nudge the 600-hp mark in the GT3. Along with the expected power upgrade, we can look forward to all the usual suspects: more extreme aero and cooling, upgrades suspension, brakes and rolling stock, a stripped-out cockpit and more. The Vantage GT3 is confirmed to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March.

Jaguar F-Type squares off against Porsche 911, Aston V8 Vantage with Chris Harris

Chris Harris is back on the job, taking on really really difficult car questions like: Which enormously sexy and good-to-drive, high-performance convertible is the top of the heap? As one of the hottest cars in the luxury space right now, the Jaguar F-Type S is, of course, in on the action. Competition comes in the form of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster and the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. Sun-loving CEOs who despise test-driving need look no further.
Scroll on below for a fully featured (with a running time of more than 20 minutes) comparison video. Harris does his best to entertain - in a typically nitpicky and made-up-British-words fashion - and the moving pictures are lovely to look at. Kick back, pour a pint and get your weekend started off right.