Aston Martin kicks off production at St Athan
Pre-prod DBXs are being built at Aston's brand new facility ahead of the SUV's market launch next year
Aston Martin has commenced production at its brand-new St Athan facility in South Wales, where prototype versions of the upcoming DBX are being made ahead of the SUV's introduction in 2020. Company boss Andy Palmer said Aston's second factory, comprised of three former RAF 'super hangers', had been completed "on time and on budget" - which ought to make anyone toiling on TVR's nearby Ebbw Vale site red with jealousy.
Aston has been working on its new facility since 2016, in which time 200 jobs have been created. St Athan's role as Aston's DBX producer, as well as its responsibility to lead the development of EV tech and build all future Lagonda models, means a further 500 jobs are expected to be created directly, with an additional 3,000 spawned across the wider supply chain that will include local businesses in South Wales.
With its production line (sort of) operational, development of the DBX - Aston's first SUV - has moved from Wales to the Arctic Circle and Nurburgring. Aston claims the car will be as capable off road as it is on and is expected to be revealed before the end of 2019 with an AMG 4.0-litre V8 offering in the region of 500hp, and with the majority of power going rearwards to ensure Aston-like dynamics.
It's no coincidence that St Athan is to produce the DBX and also lead Aston's electrification charge. The SUV will eventually grow a hybrid variant while the Lagonda All-Terrain SUV produced alongside it from 2021 is set to be all-electric only, leaving Gaydon to focus on the sportier stuff, like the new Vanquish, 003 and, of course, Valkyrie. Lots going on then - and at the ideal time for the industry, too.
Whether people like it or not the demand for SUVs is continuing to grow and any manufacturer that ignores that demand is naïve and arrogant
Porsche would not have survived if it was not for the Cayenne, if an AM SUV allows the company to survive and produce great sports / GT cars then why not - no one who doesn't like it is not exactly being forced to buy it
St Athan looks brilliant - it's all clicking into place bit by bit.
Long may it fund many a Vantage AMR manual, 001, 003, Vanquish concept etc etc and hopefully those stunning Lagonda concepts. Aston do appear to be on a bit of a role at the moment.
and many of them drive just as well as normal cars now
and this is coming from a devout SUV hater who now has 2 of the poxy things ...
Long may it fund many a Vantage AMR manual, 001, 003, Vanquish concept etc etc and hopefully those stunning Lagonda concepts. Aston do appear to be on a bit of a role at the moment.
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