Aston Martin V8 Vantage Stratus White on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin underscores its independence with the DB11

Aston Martin's future looked murky under private ownership after it was cast off by Ford in 2007. The British icon had an aging lineup and seemingly little chance to weather the looming economic storm and transform into a modern automaker. Nearly a decade later, Aston has defied doubters and reaffirmed its independence, which was embodied by the 600-horsepower DB11 revealed this week at the Geneva Motor Show. This high-powered sports car is a microcosm of Aston's strategy and capabilities. The 5.2-liter V12 was developed in-house and uses twin turbochargers to outgun the old naturally aspirated 6.0-liter 12-cylinder. The aluminum platform and sleek, contemporary design are all Aston. These are the pillars of its so-called second century plan. "This is not only the most important car that Aston Martin has launched in recent history, but also in its 103-year existence," CEO Andy Palmer said in a statement. "The DB11 rightfully places Aston Martin once again as a leading brand in the luxury automotive market." Aston also knows its limitations under private stewardship, which is why it tapped partner Daimler for the infotainment system. The German giant holds five percent of Aston, which is owned by a Kuwaiti consortium and an Italian equity group. Aston leadership chose the areas that defined the company's future and outsourced the non-essentials. That strategy allowed it to focus on making the DB11 true to the company's heritage. Sure, it faces challenges against stiff competition from high-end sports-car makers, but it's already gaining traction. "[It] will have to prove the company's new platform and powertrain technology while generating solid profits," IHS analyst Tim Urquhart wrote in a research note. "However, the omens for Aston are good, with over 1,000 advanced orders already." Even though Aston has ambitious plans to expand its product portfolio with a crossover and electrified vehicles, the DB11 remains the flagship. In 2007, many would have questioned if this car was even possible. Now the question is: What's next? News & Analysis News: Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne wants to partner with Apple to build its car, according to Bloomberg. Analysis: Sure he does. A lot of carmakers probably do. Sergio isn't shy about partnerships. This is the guy who turned an earnings call into a manifesto on industry consolidation and used a bizarre hugging analogy to illustrate his pursuit of General Motors. In this case, he's right.

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

Aston Martin seeks ‘big brother’ despite first profit in years, IPO talk

Aston Martin just reported that it earned $121 million (or GBP87 million) in 2017, its first profit in eight years, and it's preparing for a possible initial public offering, eyeing a valuation as high as $6.95 billion (GBP5 billion). It has a strategy to begin converting its fleet to hybrid and electric powertrains. Nevertheless, the low-volume British luxury marque says it needs a helping hand to survive the wave of autonomous driving technology sweeping the automotive industry. CEO Andy Palmer tells Bloomberg it's looking for a "big brother" partner to help it with the billions of dollars in capital requirements posed by the dawn of driverless cars. "We are making a new kind of company, a company that can survive on 7,000 to 14,000 very highly priced, very profitable cars a year, but it can survive because of its partnerships," Palmer told Bloomberg TV. "It can be very profitable on that 7,000 to 14,000 cars a year but only by having a big brother that can help it out." Palmer said Aston Martin already has a partnership with Daimler AG, which owns a 5-percent stake in the company, to develop autonomous capabilities, but more help is needed. One assumes he is envious of competitors like Rolls-Royce and Bentley, which benefit from the corporate parentage and financial resources of BMW and Volkswagen, respectively. Sales grew 48 percent in 2017 to nearly 5,100 units, Aston's highest sales volume in nine years, on the strength of the DB11 sports car, which starts at $211,995. It was enough for Palmer to proclaim in a release, "The financial turnaround of Aston Martin is now complete." While it shops around for a sugar daddy, Aston Martin is busy building a new factory in Wales, set to open in 2019. It has launched new models like the DB11 Volante and Vantage, plus the limited-production DB4 GT Continuation model. Further out, the company is building 155 examples of its first electric car, the RapidE, due in 2019, and it's developing an electric version of the DBX crossover, also for 2019. Palmer has said Aston Martin will offer all six of its vehicles in hybrid variants by 2025, with 25 percent of its vehicles to be fully electric by the end of the 2020s. Related Video: Image Credit: Aston Martin Aston Martin Autonomous Vehicles Electric Luxury aston martin rapide aston martin vantage aston martin db11 aston martin dbx aston martin db11 volante