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Disgraced Chinese supplier claims it has been wronged by Aston Martin

In what could be called a case of carma, the Chinese plastic supplier that forced Aston Martin to recall about 75 percent of its production since 2007 now says that it has lost about most of its customers and is facing financial ruin. Shenzhen Kexiang Mould Tool Co. produced the accelerator pedal arms for most Aston Martin models out of a counterfeit plastic and may have to close its factory due to the scandal. Shenzhen Kexiang claims no wrongdoing in the affair, saying the whole matter was caused by Aston Martin not fully understanding its supply chain. Its general manager Zhang Zhi Ang told Automotive News: "This whole situation is caused by Aston Martin." According to the automaker, its supplier, Fast Forward Tooling (HK) of Hong Kong, hired the molder as a sub-contractor to supply the part. Initially, Shenzhen Kexiang claimed to have never been contracted by the Hong Kong company, but later admitted that it wasn't sure if it made the parts because it worked for so many contractors, according to Automotive News. Aston Martin found that the accelerator arms were produced from a counterfeit form of the DuPont plastic that it had requested for its sports cars. Initially the recall covered 689 2012-2013 vehicles but further research indicated that it went back as far as November 2007 for some models. Aston Martin says it will replace the throttle assemblies on the affected vehicles and that there have been no reported accidents or injuries caused by the counterfeit plastic.

Aston Martin renames Vantage GT3 after Porsche throws hissy fit

Porsche has a long history of using the name "GT3" for its hardcore, naturally aspirated 911 models, and that means it's certainly not going to share it with the likes of Aston Martin. See, it seems the arrival of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show didn't sit well with Stuttgart, which opted to lawyer up. According to Goodwood Road and Racing, attorneys from both sides of the Channel have been in discussion for months over the issue, with Porsche arguing it's been using the GT3 name since 1999, and that makes it theirs. Aston, though, argues that the FIA GT3 racing series makes the name fair game for road cars. Moreover, the Brits point out that the alphanumeric was in use well before Porsche got its mitts on it – GRR rightly points out the Lotus Esprit GT3 hit the streets three years before the 996 GT3. And while we're on the subject, Bentley has its own GT3, but we're guessing its status as one of Porsche's siblings means its immune to this kind of squabbling. Rather than getting into a knock-down, drag-out courtroom brawl with one of the Volkswagen Group's prized brands, though, Aston has taken the high road. The company will rechristen both the road-going Vantage GT3 and Vantage racer as the GT12. While Porsche is no stranger to aggressively protecting what it views as its closely held vehicle names, we have to admit, it seems like Aston actually has something of a case. Do you think the Brits were right to settle and change the Vantage's name, or should they have taken the fight to Porsche? Have your say in Comments.

Jaguar C-X75 and Aston Martin DB10 spied drifting during Spectre shoot

Based on the cars alone, the 24th James Bond film, Spectre, is set to be one of the biggest and most impressive in the long-lived franchise. While we're stuck waiting until November to see the automotive extravaganza on the big screen, a lucky bystander managed to catch two of the movie's four-wheeled stars filming on the streets of Rome. Italian YouTuber Marchettino, well known for his videos from Ferrari's Fiorano test track, caught the video of the Aston Martin DB10 and Jaguar C-X75 filming in the dark of the Roman night, with the Aston sliding its way around a turn and the Jag giving chase. Not surprisingly, the DB10's Vantage-derived V8 features prominently. This is, of course, not the first time news regarding this chase scene has graced our digital pages. Spectre star Daniel Craig sustained a minor injury in the course of this filming, after the DB10 he was riding in hit a pretty significant pothole. We've also caught 007's Aston filming in the UK. News Source: Marchettino via YouTube Celebrities TV/Movies Aston Martin Jaguar Coupe Performance Videos spectre jaguar c-x75 aston martin db10