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First production 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 is completed

Aston Martin's new super SUV has now reached production, and the first example will be headed to its owner soon. The first 2023 Aston Martin DBX 707 is a lovely blue example with a matching blue interior. And based on our time behind the wheel recently, it should be a blast to drive. The DBX 707 is based on the regular DBX, but output from the AMG twin-turbo V8 has been turned up to 697 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque. That's enough for Aston Martin to proudly claim the title of most powerful gas-powered SUV. Though, if it had released a little earlier, it wouldn't have that title, either due to the one-year-only, 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat or the actually 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (which is between generations now). And if you were to include EVs, the Tesla Model X Plaid's 1,020 horsepower handily has it beat. Still, the DBX 707 is impressive and very fast. It will get to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and has an incredible top speed of 193 mph. To our knowledge, that does give it the title of fastest SUV, period, which is something to be proud of. The chassis has been thoroughly upgraded, too, with better brakes and suspension, which we've found to be excellent. All of the DBX 707's customers are going to be quite wealthy. The super SUV starts at $239,086 before any options. Options can add up fast, as our first drive test car reached nearly $300,000. Related Video:

Aston Martin V12 Vantage revealed as the last of the line

The Aston Martin V12 Vantage is here, and it's a wild sendoff to the littlest 12-cylinder, front-engine sports car in the company's lineup. Yes, this will be the last Vantage to get the twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12. As such, it's going to be produced in very limited numbers with a whole bunch of special features to make the most of the beefy engine under the hood. That V12 is a familiar unit, as it has also appeared in DB11 and DBS variants, as well as the Vantage-based V12 Speedster. The engine is tuned to the V12 Speedster's specifications with 690 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which is available from between 1,800 to 6,000 rpm. It's paired to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission in the middle and a mechanical limited-slip differential at the rear. Aston says the powertrain will propel the V12 Vantage to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds on the way to a 200 mph top speed. Surrounding the engine is a thoroughly revised body. It's about 1.6 inches wider overall to accommodate the wider track and fat tires (275-mm front and 315-mm rear). The front grille is 25% larger than on a normal Vantage to provide more cooling, and the hood has a scalloped vent for the same reason. Many of the body components are made of carbon fiber for weight savings including the bumpers, side skirts, fenders, hood and trunk lid. Adding both visual excitement and additional downforce are the front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and wing. They provide 450 pounds of downforce at top speed. If a buyer finds the wing to be a bit much, though, it can be deleted, though downforce would be reduced. The V12 Vantage also gets a special center-exit exhaust that weighs nearly 16 pounds less than the standard Vantage exhaust. Naturally, the chassis gets upgrades to handle the V12 Vantage's power. In addition to being wider, the V12 Vantage's chassis is stiffer thanks to added sheer panels, a rear shock tower brace and fuel tank bracing. The adaptive suspension features stiffer springs are stiffer, as are various bushings and the front anti-roll bar. The rear anti-roll bar is actually softer, though. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard with six-piston front calipers and 4-piston rear calipers. On the inside, the V12 Vantage is pretty similar to a regular model, but it gets standard Sports Plus Seats with semi-aniline leather with quilted stitching and perforations.

Aston Martin stock price shaken and stirred by latest weak outlook

Aston Martin warned its 2019 profits would almost be cut in half due to weak European markets, sending its shares sharply lower as rivals Bentley and Rolls-Royce powered ahead. Tuesday's downgrade is the latest from the British luxury carmaker, whose shares have now plunged about three quarters in value since their 2018 listing. The 107-year-old firm, famed for being fictional agent James Bond's brand of choice, cut its forecast for wholesale volumes and profit margins in July, and reduced its volume forecast again in November. It has blamed weak UK and European markets and subdued demand for its Vantage model and said on Tuesday those conditions continued through December, leading to a 7% drop in wholesale volumes for 2019. "From a trading perspective, 2019 has been a very disappointing year," Chief Executive Officer Andy Palmer said, as the company's shares plunged as much as 16%. While Aston spent 2019 ploughing money into a new factory to build its first SUV, the highly lucrative market a number of carmakers have entered, rivals such as BMW-owned Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen-owned Bentley appear one step ahead. Bentley on Tuesday said its Bentayga SUV boosted the brand's performance in 2019 as it returned to profitability, while Rolls-Royce's Cullinan helped drive a 25% increase in sales to an all-time high of 5,152 vehicles. "Cullinan has proven to be an outstanding hot seller for the brand," Chief Executive Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes told Reuters. "We are sitting now on an order bank reaching even far into 2020." Aston hopes its first SUV, the DBX, will emulate this success and revive its fortunes next year. About 1,800 orders have been booked since its launch in November, the company said. "The order rate is materially better than any other car that we have ever launched before," Palmer told Reuters. For 2019, Aston expects adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 130-140 million pounds ($171 million to $184 million). The company reported 247.3 million pounds in core profit a year earlier, while analysts' average forecast was 196 million pounds for 2019, according to a company-compiled consensus. Aston said it was also in talks with investors for a potential equity investment and would draw down $100 million in bond notes. Its shares, which have lost nearly 3 billion pounds in market value since their listing, were down 11.1% to 464.8 pence at 1136 GMT.