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Aston Martin's CEO says that autonomous cars are only a matter of time

In addition to bringing the Aston Martin AM-RB 001 to its first auto show this week, the CEO of Aston Martin, Andy Palmer, revealed his thoughts on the future of cars. And it's a future full of autonomy and electricity. According to our friends at TechCrunch, Palmer said it's a question of when – not if – autonomous vehicles will reach the public. T echCrunch also reports that Aston plans on offering an autonomous Lagonda in the future. For those of us who love driving ourselves, though, there is some good news: Fully autonomous cars are likely well into the future. Palmer told the Toronto Star that he recognizes autonomous driving is a bit antithetical to a sports car company, saying "we're a driver's car, so we're not in a rush to go driverless." He also pointed out a number of issues that personally concern him about autonomous vehicles, and which have him hesitant to pursue autonomous tech on Astons. His primary concern, according to both TechCrunch and Toronto Star, is the issue of security, but he also wants to make sure the technology is truly ready. TechCrunch reports that he said companies need a full understanding of the tech "before we beta test our customers." This statement seems pointed at Tesla, which has often said that its semi-autonomous Autopilot feature is in beta. In addition to discussing autonomous vehicles, Palmer talked about the future of electric cars, which he finds to be bright. He told the Toronto Star that he believes the future of vehicle propulsion has been decided, and that it will be electricity. He pointed to a shift in focus from the German automakers, as well as the Volkswagen diesel scandal as indicators. Palmer suggested that 25 percent of cars will be powered by electricity sometime in the next eight years, but noted this leaves plenty of room for internal combustion vehicles for a while. Related Video:

Aston Martin requests exemption from stringent US safety regulations

If you were intrigued by the chance to buy a new Aston Martin Vantage GT for $99,900, it might be best not to wait too long. There is a slim chance that the Vantage and DB9 may not have much life left in the US because they don't meet new crash standards. Aston Martin has filed documents with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asking that the new pole and moving barrier crash safety requirements – internally referred to as FMVSS 214 – be waived for the two models. The company is claiming "substantial economic hardship" and says that it can't afford to bring the vehicles into compliance. We aren't talking about a huge number of vehicles here. The Rapide and Vanquish comply with the new rules, and Aston Martin predicts that it would import 670 Vantage and DB9 models into the States between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2017. The automaker estimates it would cost around $30 million to make them compliant. The company has indeed been in rough shape in the not-too-distant past. According to the documents, sales volume decreased by about 48 percent from a high of 7,281 units in 2007 to 3,786 vehicles in 2012. The automaker had planned to have new models ready in time so that it wouldn't need an exemption, but the global economic crisis delayed it. Interestingly, the paperwork reveals that Aston currently plans to launch a replacement for the DB9 between September 2016 and August 2017. Aston Martin doesn't have very long for NHTSA to deliberate. The new rules go into effect for them on September 1, 2014 for hardtops, and September 1, 2015 for convertibles. While it would still be able to sell its other models here, it would certainly be a shock if it had to pull the the Vantage and DB9. Both documents are available in PDF format to download and read.

Aston Martin sues supplier Envisage over copyright infringement

Automakers don't make the entire cars themselves. They typically design and engineer them, outsource many of the components to outside suppliers, and put them together at assembly plants. Farming out work to those suppliers can result in some leaks in the automaker's intellectual property, but while that's typically covered in extensive legal documents, disputes can arise. And in this case, it's arisen between Aston Martin and one of its suppliers. That supplier is the Envisage Group, a British firm based in Coventry that has, among its various clients, performed design work for Aston since 2007 and supplied parts and tooling since 2011. That means it has access to certain proprietary information regarding Aston and its products, and now the automaker is claiming the supplier has taken unlawful advantage of that access and its copyrights to further its other businesses. Among its other services, Envisage operates a coachbuilding operation that handles the production of vehicles like the Eagle's customized Jaguar E-Types and the Speedback GT for David Brown Automotive. The latter, pictured here, bears more than a passing resemblance to classic Astons, and the company name itself suggests a certain affiliation as well. However both Aston Martin and David Brown Automotive insist that the lawsuit is unrelated. In correspondence with Autoblog, the latter sent the following statement: Following speculation in recent press reports that David Brown Automotive and Speedback GT are the subject of, or involved in, legal proceedings by Aston Martin Lagonda Limited against Envisage Group Limited, David Brown Automotive can confirm that it, and its products, are in no way implicated and the production of our vehicles continues unaffected by the litigation. According to the report from the Telegraph, the lawsuit filed with the UK's High Court makes specific mention of badges, wheels and headlights belonging to Aston Martin that Envisage has allegedly used in promoting its services. Featured Gallery David Brown Automotive Speedback View 18 Photos News Source: The TelegraphImage Credit: David Brown Automotive Design/Style Government/Legal Aston Martin lawsuit court david brown automotive david brown automotive speedback