Daily Archives: March 31, 2016
Aston Martin To Overhaul Lineup With Seven-Model Range
Aston Martin said it’s not overhauling its lineup, but it sure looks like it since it announced that it is looking to build a seven-model lineup. It will mark a new era for the British luxury car brand.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Car & Driver that the new model range will begin with replacing the already existing V8 Vantage. It will still be called the same and is expected to be launched next year.
It will use the AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin turbo V-8 engine, marking the first time the brand is using this specific powertrain. Drivers can choose between a manual and automatic transmission. There’s a rumored V-12 version of the Vantage, but Aston Martin hasn’t announced plans yet for that. It hasn’t even confirmed if it is even building one.
As soon as the replacement Vantage comes out in the market, Aston Martin said it will start working on a new Vanquish, which is scheduled to come out in 2018. There are no details yet about the supercar, although Palmer said the Vanquish will likely have the technologies that is coming out in the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing partnership.
Apparently, the new Vanquish might come with structural carbon fiber and KERS technology.
Aside from the two initial models, Aston Martin is also preparing the DB11, which was first seen during the Geneva Auto Show. A replacement for the DB9, the DB11 will come with the newly developed 5.2-liter turbocharged V-12 engine. It will arrive around the same time as the Vantage. There would also be a V-8 version, but there are no specific plans yet for that.
To round up the models are two others we already heard about—the Lagonda SUV and the DBX electric crossover. There are also other possibilities such as the RapidE Concept, the V-12 version of the Vantage or the V-8 version of the DB11.
2016 Ford F-150 MVP Edition Announced For Kansas City Royals
Ford is honoring baseball team Kansas City Royals for its 2015 World Series victory by announcing a limited F-150 , which is aptly called the MVP Edition. It is only fitting Ford does something for Kansas City, Missouri since this is where the brand builds about half of its F-150 pickups.
According to the company, the truck will feature a unique appearance through add-ons and bespoke badges. Suggested by a Ford customer, the MVP Edition is based on the 1986 Ford Ranger MVP Edition, the first time Kansas celebrated a professional baseball world championship.
It will include a special MVP badging, unique polished stainless rocker panels, and a spray-in bedliner.
Gary Johnson, Ford vice president for North America manufacturing, said that the team is a great example of what efficient teamwork means. He likened the team to the company’s manufacturing team at Kansas City Assembly Plant.
The customizations for the Ford F-150 MVP Edition are being added at Kansas City’s SubTropolis underground business complex. This is where Ford applies custom accessories to vehicles in its energy-efficient cave system.
The truck will remain a standard F-150 with the XLM trim level though the 302A group adds features such as a 4.2-inch productivity screen in the gauge cluster, leather-wrapped steering wheel, rear-view camera with Dynamic Hitch Assist, Class IV trailer hitch, SiriusXM radio, remote start, 10-way power front seats with heating functions, SNYC3, power-sliding rear window with privacy glass, LED cargo box lighting, and 18-inch, polished chrome wheels, chrome door and tailgate handles, a chrome exhaust tip, and chrome side steps.
The group also adds $5,245 to the XLT’s price.
Ford is requiring the 302A and Chrome packages, but Kansas City area Ford dealerships can choose the Crew Cab XLT F-150 with four engine options—2WD or 4WD—and features like Trailer Backup Assist.
Mercedes-Maybach SUV Might Be In The Works
We might have dreamed about it until the day came. It was quite hard to imagine that the luxury SUVs have finally arrived. The three-pointed star marque has once again hinted that it might join the ultra elite group of carmakers with a Mercedes-Maybach SUV.
Merc is the latest in the long line of luxury carmakers that bit into the trend. Bentley has the Bentayga. Rolls Royce has the Project Cullinan. Lamborghini has the Urus by 2018. Aston Martin has a plan based on the DBX concept.
However, a Merc official said that although Mercedes is willing and even able to build a luxury SUV, it cannot be done on the current platform. So, if ever Merc does build a luxury SUV, it would be on the next generation platform.
This makes sense, of course, since Maybach’s release, which was based on a completely different portfolio than the previous version, has been widely successful in places like China.
In China, the automaker sold more of the new long-wheelbase Mercedes-Maybach S-Class in a month than it was able to do so during the old Maybach’s “best year.” This renaissance was the push Merc needed in order to plan ahead again.
An SUV based on this current lineup is a wise decision, especially because the SUV has been slowly catering to Merc drivers as well. Since bringing back the M-Class in 1997, the SUV segment has been successful.
Ola Källenius, a Merc board member, said there is an unbroken trend in SUV because people love the high seats, sporty image and all-around usefulness for outdoor adventures. He believes the SUV trend will continue in years to come.
In Mercedes, 30 to 40 percent of the portfolio are SUVs, which Källenius said all carry the Mercedes imaging, meaning there’s no actual conflict in creating a Maybach SUV.