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Aston Martin spars with WEC over Valkyrie's exit from racing

Confirming an earlier rumor, Aston Martin announced it has stopped developing the track-going version of the Valkyrie it planned to enter in the World Endurance Championship's (WEC) new Hypercar category. It blamed its decision on a recent change in the regulations, but the sanctioning body responded that's not the full story. The British company explained it's unhappy with the WEC's decision to harmonize the Hypercar class with the LMDh category and the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship during the early 2020s. Without providing additional details, it declared the Valkyrie will not make its racing debut at the Silverstone track in August 2020 and it will not challenge Glickenhaus, Toyota, Peugeot and others in the 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It added it's considering canceling the program altogether, meaning the Valkyrie would never race. Aston Martin isn't quitting racing; far from it. It will continue to enter the Vantage GTE in WEC events around the world, and the Racing Point Formula One team will be rebranded Aston Martin after the 2020 season. The sudden and unexpected entry into Formula One led by investor Lawrence Stroll may have played a role in convincing executives to cancel the Hypercar program. Racing is expensive, and Aston isn't doing well. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that regulates the WEC doused cold water on Aston's explanation. It opined the harmonization doesn't impact the category, and it pledged to prove this claim when it releases additional technical specifications in March 2020. It instead blamed the decision to withdraw the Valkyrie from racing on the highly-publicized financial issues that have plagued Aston since 2019. "The decision announced by Aston Martin is very regrettable but perhaps not unexpected in light of the persistent rumors over the last six months concerning the fragility of the brand's exposure in the rapidly-evolving automotive market," it wrote. As of writing, executives haven't responded to these allegations. Aston Martin and the FIA both noted they're open to working with each other to find a solution, but the carmaker's statement is highly ambiguous. It affirms Aston's future presence in the racing world will be "defined by its activities at the highest level of both single-seater competition and endurance GT racing" and glaringly leaves the Hypercar category behind. To us, it sounds like the program has already been consigned to the attic.

Driving the Aston Martin DBX, Audi SQ5 and Hyundai Palisade | Autoblog Podcast #670

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Contributing Editor Joe Lorio. First, they talk about driving the Aston Martin DBX, Audi SQ5 and Autoblog's new long-term Hyundai Palisade. They discuss the news, including the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, the BMW i4 and iX, and the Kia EV6. Last, but not least, they dig into the mailbag to help a listener choose a replacement for a long-serving Honda Pilot. Autoblog Podcast #670 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars We're Driving 2021 Aston Martin DBX 2021 Audi SQ5 Long-term 2021 Hyundai Palisade News 2022 Jeep Wagoneer is here: gigantic, luxurious and packing big V8 power BMW EV news BMW Group announces an armada of EVs that includes the full Mini range BMW i4 revealed as the 3 Series' EV sidekick BMW iX xDrive50 isn't just greener on the road, but from the get-go Kia EV6 electric car revealed with curvy sheetmetal Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes 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: Aston Martin DBX in Stirling Green | On road, off-road and on the track

Aston Martin DB11 is such a tease

Aston Martin would like to take a moment to remind you that it makes beautiful cars. Naturally, the model you're likely most interested in learning about is the upcoming DB11, which we're pretty sure will make its global public debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March. To make sure you don't forget, the automaker has created this handy teaser microsite. Although the video released by Aston Martin to go along with its teaser site doesn't actually mention one of its prettiest recent models, the DB7, it does hit some memorable highlights. Starting all the way back in 1950 with the introduction of the DB2, the British sportscar manufacturer has had a history of stunning coupes. Perhaps the most well-known of all is the DB5 of the Swingin' Sixties, made famous as the car James Bond drove as he eluded baddies in movies like Goldfinger. Granted, we already have an idea of what the new DB11 will look like, at least from the front, which makes dark and shady teasers like the one here a tad less interesting. No matter, we like what we've seen so far, and can't wait to take it all in once the coupe is released in all its official glory. Until then, let the teasing continue. Related Video: