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Aston Martin recalling all DB11s over Daimler steering column

Aston Martin has become the latest carmaker to be caught up in a major recall of faulty Daimler steering-column components that can cause unintended airbag deployments. The British sports car maker is recalling all 3,873 DB11 coupes built since late 2015, when production of the flagship model began, Aston Martin spokesman Kevin Watters confirmed. He said repairs would be carried out to "address an issue with the DB11 steering column upper." Daimler last year recalled more than 1 million Mercedes-Benz cars fitted with steering-column parts also supplied to Aston and Nissan. The Japanese carmaker's Infiniti brand recalled 17,500 affected vehicles. The issue is unrelated to a global recall of faulty Takata airbag inflators that have been blamed for 20 deaths. Inadequate grounding in the Daimler units leaves their circuitry vulnerable to electrostatic charges that can trigger unintended airbag deployments, according to earlier warnings. Mercedes reported "a handful of instances where drivers suffered minor abrasions or bruises" as a result of the problem. No Aston Martin customers have reported any such incidents to date, the company said, adding the necessary repair work would be carried out free of charge in less than two hours. Reporting by Laurence FrostRelated Video:

2017 Aston Martin DB11 First Drive

England's history is filled with war. The last 70-plus years of peace and prosperity are an anomaly. Aston Martin, the nation's only independent carmaker, has similarly weathered strife – often of the financial variety – for most of its existence. Now Aston seeks stability. Its plan calls for new vehicles, a crossover even, and some electric propulsion for good measure. This is still a few years away. To get there, Aston will rely on its specialty, the sports car. Enter the 2017 Aston Martin DB11. While the company transitions, the latest in the DB line is already transformed. It's the successor to the 13-year-old DB9 (the DB10 was James Bond's car in Spectre) and has a new V12 with twin turbos cranking out 600 horsepower. The car is based on a new aluminum architecture that's lighter and stiffer than the DB9's, so the DB11 handles better. Naturally, the design is striking. That's not a cliche. Is all of this enough to sway some Ferrari, Porsche, and Bentley loyalists to Aston's fold? We've come to the gorgeous Italian region of Tuscany to find out. Taking the wheel on a sun-drenched morning, we head for Monte San Savino where a rustic lunch awaits. The V12 immediately grabs our attention. The note is buzzy at first, grows agitated, and then the sound morphs into a growling shout. Naturally aspirated engines are more visceral, but the DB11's turbo 12 is nothing to scoff at. The car sounds best in Sport Plus mode, which gives the engine and eight-speed transmission their most aggressive character. We lay on the throttle and the DB11 shoots forward, its long hood pointing the way through the countryside. The names of the villages roll off the tongue as the signs blur. Montisi. Montalcino. Trequanda. Florence and Pisa lay tantalizingly just outside of our route. Romantic as they sound, it's easy to resist Italy's magic. Its drivers are frickin' crazy. Thankfully, the DB11 has quick reflexes. The steering is moderately weighted, and the suspension stays flat and controlled even when we urge the car aggressively through tight curves. The sticky 20-inch S007 Bridgestone tires stay planted and keep us confident. Things only get unruly during hearty acceleration that causes the tail to come out. It happens rather easily. Most of the time the ride is a comfortable experience, as we expect from a grand tourer. With the sedate GT mode locked in, we examine the cabin. Our DB11 has subdued black leather accented by gold stitching.

Q by Aston Martin makes a 430-hp V8-powered Cygnet

A V8-powered Aston Martin Cygnet with 430 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque could be the best definition of "Didn't see that coming" we've had all year. A customer requested the carmaker's customization arm, Q by Aston Martin — Commission, insert a 4.7-liter V8 from the last-gen Vantage S into the Cygnet's engine bay. The grafting job, dressed in Buckinghamshire Green, weighs 1,375 kilograms or 3,025 pounds with fluids, and posts a power-to-weight ratio of 284 hp-per-ton in U.S. parlance, 313 bhp/tonne in UK units. Aston Martin engineers shortened the intake system to keep the Cygnet's standard hood unmolested. The motor blows out the other end through a twin, centrally-mounted exhaust at the end of very short pipes. Other components carried over from the Vantage S include the front and rear subframes, suspension, most of the braking system, and seven-speed Sportshift II transmission. Torque steer isn't an issue, because the rears do the driving via a "miniature" torque tube that runs underneath a custom tunnel. Carbon wheel arches shield 19-inch wheels shod in 275/35 Bridgestone rubber, with six-piston monoblock calipers in front, four-piston monoblocks in back. In spite of Aston Martin calling this "The Ultimate City Car," additional modifications would indicate the owner has ultimate track plans for the V8 Cygnet. The Q department welded in a roll cage, occupants sit in fixed Recaro buckets with four-point harnesses, the driver grips a removable, Alcantara-covered steering wheel, there are leather pull straps on carbon door panels, a steel fuel tank fills the cargo area, and an FIA-compliant fire extinguisher system keeps things cool if the temperature gets too hot. Should the V8 Cygnet pretend to its city car origins, there's a Vantage instrument cluster, air conditioning, and two USB ports. Goodwood Festival of Speed visitors will get to see how she runs up the hill. The original Cygnet, based on the Scion iQ and out of production since 2013, got from 0-60 miles per hour in about 11 seconds. The V8 Cygnet does that in 4.2, and taps out at 170 mph — 60 mph past the standard Cygnet's top speed. Aston Martin says the original Cygnet "looks set to become a future classic." That could be optimistic. The V8 Cygnet, however, just might have the chops. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin V8 Cygnet View 12 Photos Aston Martin Hatchback Luxury Racing Vehicles Special and Limited Editions aston martin cygnet q by aston martin