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Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster revealed with 690 horsepower

Aston Martin kicked off the week with one V12 convertible, and it's finishing it out with yet another one. But unlike the DBR22, the V12 Vantage Roadster has a folding soft top and will be available at the end of the year. It's not quite as powerful as the DBR22, but it's no slouch, and is practically as fast as its coupe twin. Performance upgrades to the V12 Vantage Roadster are essentially identical to the coupe. It has a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 making 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. Power goes through an eight-speed automatic transmission to a mechanical rear differential. In practice, the Roadster reaches the same 200-mph top speed as the coupe, and it's only 0.1 second behind it to 60 mph at 3.5 seconds. Major weight savings have been found throughout. The exhaust is an ultra thin stainless steel system as part of multiple weight saving measures including the carbon ceramic brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rears. The body has been widened by 1.6 inches and features a carbon fiber front bumper, hood, fenders and side sills, as well as a composite rear bumper and trunk lid. A new grille and hood vent improve cooling, and a splitter and diffuser help with downforce. The coupe's large rear wing isn't included as a nod to classier design, but it's available as part of aerodynamic package. Optional forged wheels can save even more weight, along with optional carbon fiber sport seats. Production of the Roadster starts in the third quarter of this year, with deliveries coming later. Only 249 will be built. That makes it rarer than the coupe, of which Aston built 333 examples. All the Roadsters have been spoken for, and Aston didn't give pricing. Related Video:

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:

Mercedes increases stake in Aston Martin

As part of an increasingly close partnership, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is reportedly preparing to increase its stake in Aston Martin by another one percent, bringing the German automaker's shares in the British company up to five percent.
The rapprochement between the two has been in the works for years now, and is finally beginning to take form. Mercedes-AMG is in the midst of developing a new engine with and for Aston Martin in an apparently similar arrangement to that which it has with Pagani. But that's not the extent of it.
Daimler will also furnish Aston Martin with electrical systems and other components, said to lead up to the eventual sharing of platforms: one to underpin future GTs and another to serve as the basis for a long-mooted Aston Martin crossover, now said to be back on the table and slated to launch in 2017. The prospect of using the partnership to reinvigorate both the Lagonda and Maybach luxury brands, however, has since been taken off the table, with both parties continuing those projects independently.