2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Base Convertible 2-door 4.3l on 2040-cars

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2020 Aston Martin DBX Prototype Drive | Sliding into your mentions

OMAN, Persian Gulf — The last time I got an Aston Martin this filthy was 5 years ago in dusty Anza-Borrego, California, where I ripped several illicit burnouts in a low-slung V12 Vantage S. This time around is dramatically different: Chief Engineer Matt Becker, seated alongside me, is actually egging me on to powerslide an Aston Martin DBX across an off-road trail in Oman — the first time IÂ’ve ever been encouraged by Aston brass to hoon one of their vehicles, let alone a priceless prototype, in the dirt. You wouldnÂ’t expect Becker, who spent 26 years at Lotus, to be an SUV guy. But the hardcore chassis and handling guru says the DBX project gave him a new respect for the genre because sport utes need to do far more than just go around a track quickly: TheyÂ’re required to tow, support weight on their roofs, and manage all manner of terrain, all while creating a comfortable living space for their passengers. “Once you push them and understand what they can do off-road, on-road, on-track,” he tells me while IÂ’m tackling a rock-strewn trail at highway speeds, “you really start to respect what theyÂ’re capable of.” Building the DBX will also show us what Aston Martin is capable of — capable of surviving, that is. The new decade is shaping up to be the most challenging yet for the storied carmaker, so bringing a viable sport utility vehicle to market is essential. And though weathering severe business headwinds seems to be an ongoing pastime for Aston Martin, the brandÂ’s first-ever crossover gets a rather ambitious hardware package. The DBXÂ’s bonded aluminum chassis is entirely unique to the model, as is the brandÂ’s first-ever air suspension system. While thereÂ’s no V12 available in the DBX — that honor remains reserved for Rolls-Royce's almighty $325,000 Cullinan — the AMG-sourced, 4.0-liter twin turbo V8, while similar to the mill found in the DB11 and Vantage, has also been coaxed to produce more power: 542 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, capable of launching it to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 181 mph. But building AstonÂ’s first-ever SUV from the ground up enabled unique packaging opportunities in addition to the specific hardware. For instance, market research revealed female drivers were often frustrated because most cars donÂ’t have a place to stash their purse.

The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.

Maybach and Aston Martin alliance talks fall apart

If you have, like us, been salivating at the notion of a new generation of Maybach and Lagonda ultra-luxury crafts built by Aston Martin, we've got some bad news: According to reports emanating from Germany, talks between AML and Daimler have broken down.
The proposal under negotiation would have seen Daimler outsourcing production of the next family of Maybach models to Aston Martin, which in return would benefit from Mercedes-Benz platforms and engines - not only for its svelte GTs, but also for its own future Lagonda line of limousines and luxury SUVs. That, and a boatload of money - or at least that's what AML was reportedly seeking, an issue that served as the stumbling block over which the deal reportedly collapsed.
That's not to say the two parties couldn't still reach some sort of a compromise, but short of that, Daimler may opt to either shut down Maybach altogether, find another partner, or take another stab at building new models internally.