German Car Zone

As strange as it sounds but the day when an Aston Martin is manufactured in a country outside the UK may not be that far away. According to latest reports, officials are currently investigating the feasibility of manufacturing outside of the UK for the first time in the marque’s 93 year history.

Documents seen by the Financial Times are said to have revealed plans to outsource production of a new model to a European coachbuilder and that several companies had already been contacted.

A person close to the project has revealed that a final decision will be announced in coming weeks, with Pininfarina, Karmann, Magna Steyr and Finland’s Valmet all in the running.

The new model is likely to be the upcoming Rapide four-door coupe, due to hit the market in late 2009. Aston’s Gaydon facility is already nearing capacity trying to meet demand for the V8 Vantage, DB9 and DBS and there a several additional variants of these scheduled to be introduced over the coming years.

Source: Motorauthority - Aston Martin to build cars outside the UK

Even better, build them in China and you could get two (or three) for the price of one

With traces of lead.

That would be interesting.

Aston to build cars abroad


Aston Martin is to manufacture a major model outside the UK for the first time, CAR Online can exclusively reveal. The iconic British car maker will use the Geneva Motor Show to announce that its new Rapide four-door coupe will be built in Austria by Magna Steyr.

The firm’s Graz factory is expected to build up to 3000 Rapides each year, with deliveries starting in early 2010. As with all Aston Martin engines, the £200,000 Rapide’s 6.0-litre V12 will be built in Cologne. The Rapide shares its VH platform with all other current Astons but is most closely related to the DB9.

Magna Steyr already builds around 200,000 cars each year, including the BMW X3 and Saab 9-3 convertible. From 2010, it will build 60,000 units of the new Mini Sports Activity Vehicle, but will lose the next-generation X3 to BMW’s US plant.

Bez: Aston Martins must be built abroad

CEO Ulrich Bez is believed to have asked major European coachbuilders such as Magna, Italy’s Pininfarina, Germany’s Karmann and Finland’s Valmet to tender for the production of the Rapide last year when it became clear that demand for the new car would outstrip capacity at the firm’s Gaydon factory. Aston only began production there in 2003, but since Bez took control in 2000 the company’s output has grown tenfold to 7400 cars in 2007. There is precious little extra capacity at Gaydon.

The move may alienate some Aston Martin purists, but the company is likely to stress its long history of cooperation with European designers and coachbuilders. The DB4GT Zagato of the early Sixties is regarded as the most beautiful and desirable road-going Aston Martin and takes its name from the Italian firm that bodied it. Zagato also built limited runs of the DB7-based Vantage Zagato coupe and DB AR1 roadster in 2003. All these cars were bodied in Italy on chassis built by Aston Martin in England.

Bez has speculated publicly about going much further, outsourcing all of Aston Martin’s operations with the exception of marketing, and even paying his former employer Porsche to work on the ride and handling of future Astons.

Aston Martin's business plan

Aston Martin was bought from Ford a year ago in a deal valuing it at £479 million by a consortium led by Prodrive’s David Richards, backed by Houston banker and Aston enthusiast John Sinders, and two Kuwaiti investment houses.

'I’m sure a smart PR person will put a positive spin on it,' says industry analyst Jay Nagley of Spyder Automotive. 'Aston Martin has had a long relationship with the exotic European design houses like Zagato. A lot of Porsche Boxsters are made in Finland, and much of the Rolls-Royce Phantom is made in Germany, and nobody seems to mind. And it’s not as if they’re moving production to China.'

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/Industry-News/Aston-to-build-cars-abroad-/

So the production is due to commence in late 2009

Aston Martin announces partnership with Magna Steyr

Aston Martin has today announced a partnership with automotive specialists Magna Steyr which will see the company’s four-door Rapide built at a dedicated facility in Graz in Austria.
The decision to outsource production of this incremental model has been taken because Aston Martin is currently enjoying unprecedented levels of success from an increasing number of markets around the world. Demand for its current models – the DB9, the V8 Vantage and the recently launched DBS - means that their award-winning headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire, is fast approaching full capacity of 8000 cars.
The Aston Martin Rapide was launched as a concept at the Detroit Motor Show in 2006 and since that time the company has been investigating the best business solution for building the car. Since the commitment from the new shareholders in May 2007, that the Rapide would go into production Aston Martin has investigated several companies, each with outstanding experience and reputation for handling such projects and high-performance models, and concluded that Magna Steyr was the best partner to do this.
The company has grown substantially since the Gaydon headquarters and production facility was opened in 2003, turning the company into one of the UK motor industry’s top success stories.
The continuing growth and success of the company is based upon Gaydon as the focal point and heart of the business, with the design and engineering of all Aston Martin products continuing to be carried out there.
Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, commented: “I am confident that the partnership with Magna Steyr is a sound business proposition to ensure continued future stability and growth for Aston Martin. The dedicated Aston Martin Rapide Plant will have the ability to deliver the highest levels of quality similar to those which currently exist at our Gaydon production facility.”
To meet Aston Martin’s stringent requirements work will begin immediately to establish a dedicated Aston Martin production operation within Magna Steyr’s facility in Austria. The design of the Aston Martin Rapide Plant (AMRP) will be based upon the company’s production facility in Gaydon and the Aston Martin Engine Plant (AMEP) in Cologne and will integrate the company’s corporate identity including a travertine marble reception and Aston Martin work-wear for employees.
Production of Rapide is expected to begin in late 2009 with around 2000+ cars being built annually.

© 2007 Aston Martin

thx aston martin
after the mini suv the second british car which is going to be built in graz