New Aston Martin at No 10 for Dewi Sant
The Aston Martin that will be built in Wales made a visit to 10 Downing Street to celebrate St David’s Day.
The DBX, the British luxury carmaker’s first SUV, will be built in St Athan at the luxury car-maker’s new facility.
Aston Martin Lagonda’s investment in a second UK manufacturing facility, which was announced in early 2016, will create more than 700 skilled jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan. During the past two years the former Ministry of Defence site at St Athan has been transformed into a state-of-the-art car production plant.
While the DBX waited outside No 10, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group chief executive officer Andy Palmer attended a reception hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May, and attended by the Secretary of State for Wales, Alan Cairns.
Dr Palmer said: “Prototype models of the DBX have embarked on an extensive testing programme, which has seen the car being put through its paces in various environments, including a demanding Welsh Rally stage.
“I’m delighted that this model was able to take time out of its busy schedule to be involved in the celebration of Wales Week in London.”
The price and more details about the SUV will not be revealed until the car is unveiled in November or December.
Mrs May said: “As we celebrate all that is great about Wales it’s fantastic to have the first DBX model, that will be built at Aston Martin’s new Welsh base, parked pride of place on Downing Street to mark St David’s Day.
“Bringing 700 jobs and investment to the region and providing a new home for Aston Martin’s cuttingedge electric technology, the St Athan plant will ensure that the UK remains a world leader in the future of transport.”
The Aston Martin DBX will go into full production at St Athan in 2020.
This week the car manufacturer revealed plans to set aside up to £30m to help it weather Brexit disruption as it posted a £68.2m annual loss.
The maker of cars favoured by spy James Bond said its board had given the go-ahead for the fund as it steps up contingency planning for a possible no-deal Brexit.
In its first set of annual results since floating last October, the firm added it was taking action to “mitigate the impact on the business from potential supply chain disruption should the UK withdraw from the European Union without an agreement or in an unstructured manner”.
The comments came as it reported the hefty pre-tax losses for 2018, against profits of £85m in 2017, due to £136m of costs for its stock market debut.
Shares fell 9% in morning trading as Aston Martin also cautioned that underlying earnings are set to be lower in the first half of 2019.
It said: “Since our third-quarter trading update in November 2018, geopolitical and economic uncertainties have increased. In response, we have put contingency plans in place to protect production and customer deliveries should the UK leave the European Union without an agreement or in an unstructured manner.”