2007 Aston Martin Db9 Volante'-extremely Nice! on 2040-cars

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UK car output falls 14% in March, may get worse with no-deal Brexit

LONDON — British car output fell for the 10th month in a row in March, hit by a slowdown in key foreign markets, and the sector stands to suffer a lot more if the country leaves the European Union without a deal, an industry body said on Tuesday. Output tumbled by an annual 14.4 percent to 126,195 cars in March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4 percent. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming London can secure a transition deal with the EU. If Britain has to rely instead on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30 percent to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, the SMMT said. The forecasts were produced for SMMT by AutoAnalysis, a consultancy. Prime Minister Theresa May has secured a delay to the Brexit deadline until Oct. 31, giving her more time to try to break an impasse in parliament over the terms of Britain's departure from the EU. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt traveled to Japan earlier this month to try to persuade the Japanese government and Toyota, which has a big presence in Britain, that London was determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce 2 million cars by 2020 — a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. "All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry." (Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken)

800-hp Aston Martin Vulcan will live long and prosper... on the track

The Aston Martin Vulcan might by one of the most beautiful creations to ever emerge from the British sports car company. Unfortunately, its status as a track-only toy limited to 24 units makes seeing one on the road practically impossible. That's a shame, too, because nothing would wake up an early morning commute better than seeing jets of flame shoot out of the side of this coupe. For the Vulcan, Aston Martin takes a 7.0-liter version of its tried and true V12 and promises to extract over 800 horsepower from it. The engine is hooked up to a six-speed sequential gearbox, and the car features all of the other necessities for a full-bore track car too. The pushrod suspension, anti-lock carbon-ceramic brakes and traction control are all fully adjustable to create the perfect balance for any circuit. Underneath, there's a carbon fiber monocoque, and the body panels are also made from the lightweight material. While the mechanicals are everything a driver could want on the track, the design is just as attractive. The styling takes the taut lines from Aston Martins of the last decade and sharpens everything to look futuristic. The pointed, orange filaments making up the taillights are an especially cool touch. The brand promises to reinterpret this look for future models, so we might still see inspiration of it on the road. Give it a thorough look in our live gallery above from the floor at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Related Video:

Aston Martin recalling 6,076 for locking doors

The Basics: Aston Martin is recalling 6,076 cars because of an issue with the vehicles' door locks. The vehicles include: the 2010-2015 Aston Martin DB9, 2010-2012 DBS, 2010-2016 Rapide, 2010-2016 V8 Vantage, 2012 Virage, 2014-2016 Vanquish, 2011-2016 V12 Vantage, and 2012-2013 V12 Zagato. The Problem: The affected cars, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), come with interior door unlocking components that may not function properly when the car is locked from the outside. This may result in an occupant being trapped inside the vehicle. Injuries/Deaths: None reported. The Fix: Aston Martin dealers will disable the vehicles' double locking feature by reprogramming the mechanism's software at no charge. If you own one: Aston Martin will notify owners with the recall expected to begin in August. Related Video: Description of the Noncompliance: The subject vehicles contain a full locking system software, which according to an interpretation letter issued by NHTSA, does not meet certain door lock requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 206, Door locks and door retention components (49 C.F.R §571.206). In the subject vehicles, each door is equipped with a locking mechanism with an operating means from the interior of the vehicle. However, when the full locking system is mobilised (by double locking the vehicle), this disengages the interior operating means for unlocking the door locking mechanism. As such, the full locking system is an effective anti-theft measure. FMVSS 1 : 206 - Door locks and door retention components FMVSS 2 : NR Description of the Safety Risk: In an affected vehicle, where the full locking system has been activated from the exterior, there is a risk that occupants are unable to unlock the doors from the inside of the vehicle. In relation to our 4-door sports cars (Rapide and Rapide S), this risk is the same as if a person were in a vehicle in which the child locks were engaged. However, all our vehicles have an acoustic warning device (i.e. horn), which can still be activated from the interior of the vehicle when the ignition is switched off and the full locking system is activated. Furthermore, some vehicles are fitted with an alarm system with interior detection, which is able to detect an occupant's movement and will activate the vehicle's alarm if the full locking mechanism is activated and occupants are detected inside the vehicle.