At the start of my Geneva slot with Andy Palmer I admit that he's always one of my favourite interview subjects, which sounds smarmy but also happens to be true. "Yes, that's because I say too much," he rejoins, triggering some slightly nervous laughter from the attendant PR minder. Well yes, exactly. Behind his affable demeanour, though, there is steel inside Palmer. He is one of the motor industry's self-made men, a guy who left school at 16 to start as an apprentice for AP Brakes and worked his way up to become Nissan's global head of product development. Then, five years ago, he left to take the reins at Aston Martin, with the scale of the company's subsequent product offensive summed up by the fact it has no fewer than three concepts at Geneva - the AM-RB 003 giving a view of what will become the brand's second mid-engined model, the Vanquish Vision a further-out glimpse at the third and also a Lagonda All-Terrain concept which will morph into the company's second EV (after the … [Read more...] about Why Aston Martin needs mid-engine supercars
Aston martin japan
Why Aston Martin had to change – and is still changing…
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer is a total petrolhead – he likes nothing better than to put on a race suit and compete at quite a high level in his company’s products. And he’s happy to discuss the merits of other classic British names with fellow petrolheads, as this correspondent discovered while viewing the latest TVR at Goodwood a couple of years ago. Palmer is also, however, a very astute automotive executive, making good use of experience acquired at Austin Rover and then Nissan. He spent 24 years at the latter, many of them in Japan, rising to the position of executive vice president and chief planning officer. Palmer had always desired to run his own car company, however, and achieved his aim when the Aston Martin CEO post became vacant in 2014. Though he told one media outlet; “when I decided to take this one from Nissan, I was pretty sure people would say I was mad.” With good reason – when Palmer took up his post, Aston Martin was a maker … [Read more...] about Why Aston Martin had to change – and is still changing…
I Hunted Down Tokyo’s Best Car-Spotting Locations In A 600 HP Aston Martin
A Car Nerd's Guide To Japan An insider look at car culture in Japan. “Where can I see some cool cars without having to go to Daikoku PA or Tatsumi PA”? That’s the question I get most frequently from people wanting to get a glimpse of the best cars Tokyo has to offer. Rather than answering the same question several times, hopefully this guide will help everyone wanting to do a bit of car-spotting while they’re in Tokyo. Also, selfishly, it gave me an excuse to drive an Aston Martin Vanquish S. (Full disclosure: Aston Martin Japan loaned me a Vanquish S for a few days, albeit with a limit on the mileage which is typical of cars in this price range. I made it work.) While Tatsumi PA and Daikoku PA are still my recommended “must see” places simply due to their size and diversity, not everyone has the time to rent a car to go to those places. For those wanting to remain in the city and only have the public transportation and their feet … [Read more...] about I Hunted Down Tokyo’s Best Car-Spotting Locations In A 600 HP Aston Martin
Aston Martin to float on London Stock Exchange
The group announced that it was going to sell £1bn of shares in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and will give full details in a prospectus to be published on 20 September.The company recently began production of the new Vantage, built in Gaydon. This will be followed by the DBS Superleggera. Aston Martin is also building a new factory in Wales. Accounts filed at Companies House show the group made pre-tax profits of £86.7m in 2017 compared to a loss of -£162.8m the previous year. Turnover increased to £876m from £593m last time. Global Aston Martin sales increased 38% to 5,098 units in 2017 year-on-year. As a result of new model introductions and brand investment the group saw growth in all major regions, including the UK, which delivered 1,538 sales in 2017 compared to 1,108 the previous year. The group has been improving the quality of its global dealer network, with reduced numbers. The network 161 dealers in 2017 compared to 167 in 2016. In 2017 the group … [Read more...] about Aston Martin to float on London Stock Exchange
Aston Martin shuffles WEC line-ups for 2018 superseason rounds
× Sign into your account Sign in Subscribe to Autosport Plus for just £1 Register for free and access more stories Autosport Plus / Vettel’s key weakness in his Hamilton ba... Subscribe today Highlights F1 / Ricciardo sets new contract deadline after delay Autosport Plus / The chief victim of F1's renewed civil war Autosport Plus / Vettel’s key weakness in his Hamilton battle F1 / Russell ends Hungary test fastest with record F1 / Gasly now 'a mature driver' - Tost F1 / Rejected firm still claims it can buy Force India F1 / Rowland: Young talent makes F1 shot difficult Subscribe Menu Formula 1 Formula E More Series Live Forum More Formula 1 News Features Gallery Calendar Live Standings Results Statistics Hungary / Results Pos Driver Time 1 Lewis Hamilton 1h37m16.427s 2 Sebastian Vettel 1h37m33.550s 3 Kimi Raikkonen 1h37m36.528s 4 Daniel … [Read more...] about Aston Martin shuffles WEC line-ups for 2018 superseason rounds