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Aston Martin says Alabama is 'obvious choice' for US plant

Aston Martin is gearing up to be the next foreign automaker to build an assembly plant in the United States – and it looks like it'll be in Alabama. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, company CEO Andy Palmer said that he and his team will make a decision on the prospect of building its second factory, and that the Yellowhammer State was the "obvious choice" for its location. The possibility first came up on our radar last month, after Aston reportedly held discussions with representatives of state governments in the South. The plant would be earmarked to handle production of the DBX. Slated to be the company's first crossover, it was previewed in concept form at the Geneva show in March. "Our principal customers will be in the United States and China," Palmer said to ANE. However, the US would apparently be preferable to building a plant in China, from which it would be more difficult to export vehicles to other markets and where Aston would need to form a joint venture with a local manufacturer. The prospect of building its plant in the same state where Mercedes builds its SUVs would offer certain advantages as well: Aston has inked a deal with the German automaker to supply some systems and components. The British automaker has also long-been rumored to be considering building a crossover based on the same platform as the GL-Class (soon to be redubbed GLS), although that may or may not take the form of the DBX. Aston Martin is working toward ramping up production from the 4,000 units it sold last year to as many as 15,000. "If we went to three shifts" at the current plant in Gaydon, said Palmer, "we would be at 15,000 a year, so theoretically we could do it but you'd have no room for stoppage for maintenance. Related Video:

A high-performance Aston Martin DB11 is on the way

It was only a matter of time before Aston Martin prepped a hotter version of its DB11. The British Automaker did the same for the DB9 with the DBS, as well as the Vanquish, Rapide, and Vantage so a performance model Aston is as predictable as an AMG anything from Mercedes-Benz. And from the looks of it, this extra-potent DB11, which we'll call DB11 S, will follow the same formula of more power, and aggressive exterior upgrades. Most noticeable is the mega-sized maw at the front. There's a bit of white-painted mesh to break up the front grille, but it's still clear that the opening has expanded all the way down to the front spoiler. That spoiler has been changed as well, featuring points on each side instead of one big arch. Moving around to the side, the slender vent that extends from the wheel arch on the standard DB11 has been exchanged for something larger. It's shaped very differently as well, looking a bit like a shark's tooth or a Star Fleet badge from Star Trek. At the back is another significant change. The rear bumper now features a clearly functional diffuser for improved aerodynamics. Vents appear around the exhaust tips, too. However, the ducktail spoiler appears unchanged, as does the rest of the rear. There are a couple of interesting details inside as well. This prototype is fitted with Recaro race seats, which are pretty neat, but will likely be replaced with cushier, leather-wrapped seats developed by Aston. Just behind the seats is something even more fascinating. This DB11S has a roll cage. It's hard to say if this is just a one-off for the prototype, or if it will make it to production. Certainly other companies, such as Porsche, have offered roll cages in production cars. But in the case of Porsche, they've only been included on the most hardcore sports cars. However, we're not sure this Aston is the same type of track-focused car that Porsche's caged examples are. View 11 Photos As a bonus, we also have more photos of the upcoming DB11 Volante, due spring of next year. It's still sporting the '80s-grade shoulder pads to hide its haunches, but the rest of the car is pretty well exposed. Naturally, the little air scoop behind the rear quarter windows was lost with the switch to a soft top, but we expect everything under the fake steel panels will be very similar to the coupe, just like the rest of the car. Related Video:

Aston Martin teams with Red Bull Racing for new supercar

Aston Martin has a new supercar in the works. Only this time, it isn't going it alone. Dubbed project AM-RB 001, this model is being jointly developed by the British automaker and Red Bull Racing. The freshly inked "Innovation Partnership" has been a long time in the making and will combine the talents of Aston Martin's chief designer Marek Reichman with those of Red Bull's legendary technical director Adrian Newey. Motorsports consultancy AF Racing AG will also collaborate with Q by Aston Martin Advanced and Red Bull Advanced Technologies to get the project off the ground and onto the road – and the track. Unfortunately, as the press release below and teaser image above are decidedly sparing with the details. But Reichman says the partnership is "in the process of developing a hypercar that combines the latest in aerodynamics from F1 and the stunning design language of an Aston martin sports car." One way or another, we trust it will prove a worthy successor to the likes of the exotic One-77 and the track-bound Vulcan. This isn't the first time we've seen Aston's chief exec Andy Palmer broker a partnership with Red Bull, having previously chaired the team's longtime sponsor Infiniti. Nor is it the first time we're seeing Red Bull dip its toes outside the confines of the F1 regulations – only its previous designs remained limited strictly to the cyberspace of the Gran Turismo gaming series. We'll be watching closely to see how this supercar project comes together. Related Video: ASTON MARTIN AND RED BULL RACING TO CREATE NEXT GENERATION HYPERCAR 17 March, 2016, Melbourne: British luxury brand Aston Martin and Formula One team Red Bull Racing are today announcing a partnership which sees Red Bull Racing's Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey and Aston Martin's Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman collaborate to produce a ground-breaking Aston Martin hypercar. Codenamed Project 'AM-RB 001', the new hypercar will represent the ultimate blend of cutting edge F1TM technology with Aston Martin's signature sports car design. The combined talents of Newey, widely noted as the most successful Formula One designer of all time, and Reichman, Aston Martin's design chief since 2005, are set to produce the ultimate hypercar. Combining the strongest elements of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin, this new Innovation Partnership unites the world's best aerodynamicists, composite experts and manufacturing masters.