2014 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Stratus White/obsidian Black 2700 Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin shows its other half with new Lagonda Taraf sedan

It's been a long time since we've seen a new Lagonda, but here it is: the Taraf. Introduced a few months ago in Dubai, the new Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf has since been confirmed for wider availability outside of the Middle East – including Europe, though sadly not North America – and is making its major show debut here in Geneva. The Lagonda Taraf is based on familiar technology – built on Aston Martin's familiar VH platform and powered by the company's ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12 engine – but stretches longer than the more compact Rapide and with completely different styling than we've grown accustomed to seeing on modern Astons. Only 200 examples will be made, priced at what is sure to be a substantial premium befitting its scarcity and the revival of a long-dormant nameplate. All of which means that this represents a rare opportunity to see the new Lagonda up close... at least until Aston cooks up the next model to wear the badge. Related Video:

Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll leads $240 million Aston Martin investment

After months of rumors and speculation, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll confirmed he led the purchase of a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin for GBP182 million ($239 million). The investment is part of a GBP500 million ($656 million) round of emergency funding that will help the British automaker overcome serious financial challenges. Yew Tree Overseas Limited, a consortium of international investors led by Stroll, built its stake by buying 45.6 million new ordinary Aston Martin shares on the London Stock Exchange, according to Autocar. Aston Martin raised the remaining GBP318 million ($417 million) by giving existing investors the opportunity to buy more shares, the BBC learned. It's not a full bailout, but it's close. Aston Martin ended 2019 in dire financial straits. Stroll will replace Penny Hughes as Aston Martin's chairman; CEO Andy Palmer is expected to keep his job. Several sources confirmed the Racing Point Formula One team owned by Stroll will be rebranded Aston Martin after the 2020 season, and Autocar reported the company will quickly need to eliminate jobs and slash costs. "The difficult trading performance in 2019 resulted in severe pressure on liquidity, which has left the company with no alternative but to seek substantial additional equity financing. Without this, the balance sheet is not robust enough to support the operations of the group," Hughes admitted in an interview with the BBC. Stroll's' appointment to the Aston Martin board comes as the company prepares to overhaul its product plan. It notably confirmed the rumors claiming it put the battery-powered Rapide project on the back burner until further notice, and it delayed plans to revive the Lagonda nameplate on a series of extra-luxurious electric vehicles until after 2025. The first car was originally scheduled to reach the market in 2022, but the battery technology is expensive to develop, and Aston must save about 10 million pounds (around $13 million) annually. The firm will instead focus on mid-engined sports cars. Still according to Autocar, it will begin delivering the 1,160-horsepower Valkyrie hypercar this year, and it's on track to launch the Valhalla in 2022. The Vanquish will go mid-engined shortly after. Delaying electric cars doesn't mean abandoning electrification, and Aston Martin hopes to release "a fuel-efficient, modular V6 engine with hybrid capabilities" by the middle of the 2020s.

Aston Martin Rapide puts the future on display at CES

Aston Martin looks to be on the verge of a technological revolution. That includes a new platform, powertrain, design language... the works. And at CES, it's showing how its next generation of vehicles will incorporate new infotainment technologies, as well. Stemming from a partnership recently signed with Chinese company Letv (which we're not sure how to pronounce either), this Aston Martin Rapide S is decked out with bright tech. It has a 13.3-inch high-def touchscreen display in the center console, a 12.2-inch display in the instrument cluster, new speed-recognition technology, and remote services. All the features come from Letv's Internet of the Vehicle program. Few of these features are ground-breaking, but everything being relative, it's a big step for Aston Martin. After all, the British automaker makes almost all of its models based on a platform that dates back fifteen years, a V12 engine that's even older, and no transmission with more than a single clutch. But that's all about to change with a new generation on the horizon, and this demonstrator hints at just one way in which we'll soon see that transformation take shape. Related Video: LETV AND ASTON MARTIN REVEAL THE AUTOLINK RAPIDE S AT CES 6 January 2016, Las Vegas USA: Leading global technology company Letv and luxury sports car brand Aston Martin today revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show the first results of their collaboration – an Aston Martin Rapide S incorporating the latest Letv Internet of the Vehicle (IOV) system. Aston Martin and Letv signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on December 3rd 2015 to confirm research projects that include the development of connected electric vehicles through to manufacturing consultation on future electric vehicles. The ideation and engineering of the Aston Martin Rapide S project has been led by the Letv IOV team and has focused on a new concept for the centre console and instrument panel. The center console is now a 13.3 inch HD touch screen and the instrument panel is now a 12.2 inch screen incorporating electronic instrumentation and gauges. The original human-machine interaction (HMI) has also been updated by integrating Letvs latest speech recognition technology. Letv first showed its Autolink system in November 2015, the first time the technology company had released a product specifically developed for automotive applications.