Autos : Aston Martin signs Letter of Intent for technical partnership with AMG

A little over two months ago came reports that Daimler and Aston Martin were in talks, again, about "supply and technical-cooperation agreements." The next step has been taken with Aston Martin announcing that it has signed a Letter of Intent that looks "towards a technical partnership" with Mercedes-AMG GmbH, and the two companies aiming to have definitive agreements done by year's end.

While it will get to use certain electric and electronic components from AMG, the true golden egg for the maker of the Vanquish will be the ability to develop a new line of "bespoke V8 powertrains" that will be fitted to "a new generation of models." In return for opening up the larder, Daimler will get a non-voting stake of up to five percent of Aston Martin.

 

Press Release

Aston Martin in technical partnership with Mercedes-AMG GmbH

Thursday 25 July, 2013, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today announcing moves towards a technical partnership with Mercedes-AMG GmbH, a 100% subsidiary and high performance brand of German multinational automotive corporation Daimler AG. A Letter of Intent to this end has been signed today and both parties are working towards signing definitive agreements before the end of the year. Such agreements are subject to applicable regulatory approvals.

The proposed deal will see Aston Martin access significant Mercedes-AMG GmbH and Mercedes-Benz Cars' resources, allowing the development of bespoke V8 powertrains and the use of certain components of electric/electronic (e/e) architecture.

Daimler AG will own a stake of up to five per cent non-voting shares in Aston Martin depending on the progress of the agreement. The company will join the existing shareholders that include Investment DAR, Adeem Investment and Investindustrial.

The technical partnership will support Aston Martin's launch of a new generation of models that will incorporate cutting edge technology and newly-developed bespoke V8 powertrains. An essential element of the planned partnership is a supply agreement between Mercedes-AMG, Daimler AG and Aston Martin.

Aston Martin, which is Britain's most exclusive sports car company, is celebrating its centenary this year. The company will continue to manufacture all of its sports cars at its Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, England.

Aston Martin Product Development Director Ian Minards said: "We have selected AMG specifically as the basis for this powertrain development process.

"Aston Martin sources cutting edge technology from key suppliers around the globe and the opportunity to include content from Mercedes-AMG GmbH in our next generation sports cars is, clearly, good news."

He added: "Working with Mercedes-AMG in this way while, of course, remaining independent and preserving the unique character and style of Aston Martin that has been the mainstay of the company throughout its 100-year history, points to a very bright future for the company as it starts its second century in business."

Ola Källenius, Head of Mercedes-AMG GmbH said: "We are proud to work with Aston Martin and provide them with powertrain and e/e components for their forthcoming sports cars. This is proof of AMG's technological and performance expertise and a real win-win situation for both sides."

The companies confirm that their respective engineering teams will work together to optimise the implementation of this technical partnership.

Both parties have agreed that no further details of the planned technical partnership will be revealed for the time being.

 

Credit : Autoblog

Rides : And the “Most Beautiful Supercar” award goes to…

“The Most Beautiful Supercar” award has been recently won by the Aston Martin Vanquish during the Festival Automobile International in Paris a few days ago.

The brand new Aston Martin Vanquish is truly one hot ride to own and after being officially unveiled back in mid-2012, the model is being placed into the spotlights once again, this time with an award. The Aston Martin Vanquish has won “The Most Beautiful Supercar” award in Paris, during the Festival Automobile International a few days ago. The award was received by the company’s design director, Marek Reichman, who said that the automaker is very proud to receive it.
As a quick reminder, the Aston Martin Vanquish has been revealed in 2012 and the British supercar is powered by a 6.0 liter V12 engine, producing a total output of 565 BHP and having a peak torque of 620 Nm (457 lb-ft). The unit is mated to a Touchtronic 2 six-speed automatic transmission which is sending power to the rear-wheel drive. The 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint is done in just 4.1 seconds and the top speed achieved by the new Vanquish is 295 km/h (183 mph). Prices for the Aston Martin Vanquish have been set at 189,995 GBP in the UK.

Rides : Check Out The 2013 Aston Martin Rapide S

The British based automaker Aston Martin has released the very first official video with the brand new 2013 Rapide S.

After it was officially unveiled just a few hours ago, the 2013 Aston Martin Rapide S is being placed into the spotlights once again, this time with the British based automaker revealing the very first video with the model. The footage posted below is showing the luxurious and powerful four-door coupe from just about every angle and it’s a good preview for the model which will arrive in the company’s showrooms across the globe over the following months.
The new Aston Martin Rapide S is coming with a 5.9 liter V12 engine, generating 558 HP (410 kW) and 620 Nm of torque (457 lb-ft). The model can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, before reaching a top speed of 305.7 km/h (190 mph). Fuel consumption in the new Rapide S stands at 14.1 L burned every 100 km (16.5 mpg US / 19.9 mpg UK) and the CO2 emissions have dropped to 332 g/km. The pricing of the 2013 Aston Martin Rapide S is expected to start at 150,000 GBP once the model will go on sale next month.