Mercedes' Role in Aston Martin's Future
Several years ago Aston Martin inked a deal with Mercedes-Benz. The German firm secured a non-voting 5 percent stake in the famous sports-car maker and in exchange the folks in Britain are getting a number of important technologies.
“We look to Mercedes for three things, there’s the powertrain (read: transmissions), the electrical architecture, and specifically there’s the base architecture in terms of V8 engines and technology. And that’s really where we’re putting our focus today,” said Julian Jenkins, Aston Martin’s president of the Americas.
What this means for future Aston Martin powertrains is unclear. The folks at AMG are known for building muscular, naturally aspirated engines, though in recent years they’ve rapidly adopted forced-induction as a way of improving fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance.
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Jenkins wouldn’t comment, but it seems likely that turbochargers will find their way into future Aston Martins when their corporate tie-up finally bears fruit. This likely means the company’s glorious 6.0-liter V12 is living on borrowed time.
As for a timetable Clarke said, “The first sort of Mercedes-influenced car is a little while yet.” When pressed harder he responded, “A couple years is a good guess.”
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Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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