Aston Martin is setting up its new SUV and electric car plant in Wales with a production line running at twice the speed of its Gaydon HQ factory, as it searches for greater manufacturing efficiency.
Workers at the new St Athan plant will have half the time to fit components compared with those at Gaydon, where the Vantage, Aston Martin Rapide, Aston Martin DB11 and DBS Superleggera are built. The assembly stations at St Athan are planned around a 20-minute ‘Takt’ time – the industry standard for organising production lines – compared with Gaydon’s 39 minutes.
“St Athan will be more efficient because it’s a new plant being set up with the benefit of 15 years of experience of operations at Gaydon," said Aston Martin.
Aston Martin DBX shown in near production form before 2019 reveal
The Welsh plant will make 7000 cars per year, the same number as Gaydon but on one instead of two lines. St Athan consists of three converted RAF hangars – the first a body-in-white plant, the second a paint shop and the third a final assembly hall.
The factory will launch pilot production of the new DBX SUV next spring, with a series of models known internally as PT2 (for Production Trial 2). Spearheading the electric push at Aston Martin, the Rapide E will also be produced at the site in 2019, when doors officially open. In 2021, the Aston Martin Lagonda luxury brand's first car will enter production, as part of an all-EV line-up of Rolls-Royce rivals.
Based on the Rapide four-door and powered by an 800V, 65kWh battery pack and two rear-mounted motors with a total of 602bhp, the Rapide E will be built in a former warplane paint facility on the St Athan site. Once the limited run is complete, the unit will be converted to a pilot production plant where Aston engineers can trial new production methods for future models.
The plant's construction is now in its third and final phase, with the production lines on the way to completion, laying the groundwork for the manufacturer to launch its new DBX crossover in 2019. Although not every car produced at St Athan will be electrified, the brand aims for every car in its line-up to have an electrified option by the mid 2020s.
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"The assembly stations at St
Do they know what the rate of demand for this vehicle is or will be yet? Is it even on sale?
Totally agree with Aussie Rob
I wonder if the world had started with SUVs, these same purists would be hoping that the manufacturers stayed true to their heritage and didn't make cars.
You move with the times or become obsolete.
well said..
my thoughts exactly
Didn't do Porsche any harm, building SUV's
Sound move for AM. Good luck to them - this is the sort of enterprising spirit Britain needs now.
Robbo
I disagree -- it did Porsche
Speedraser wrote:
I don't agree on the matter of platform sharing, given what everything costs nowadays it makes sense for manufacturers to spread the burden and maximize usage of each design. Same for engines.
As regards jeeps, however, I'm right with you. They are a blight on our roads second only to the electric/autonomous fad, but sadly they don't seemed destined to die out so quickly as the electric cars will. It's especially repugnant to see badges like Lotus, Aston Martin and Volvo stuck onto hideous jeep monstrosities. They are not only inherently more dangerous than cars, and driven by the worst kinds of driver on top of that, but they are wasteful of valuable resources and environmentally improvident compared to cars.
???
"Jeeps" are a monstrosity? We live in a democracy that chooses these vehicles whilst they still have free will. Don't like them? Well don't buy them. Various factors will change the vehicles we drive, most notably petty-minded establishment regulation that will drive demand via punitive taxation and ill-concieved legislation. Witness the drive to diesel swiftly followed by the drive against diesel! Now we have the situation whereby the less well off are driving ten year "smokers" and the more financially capable are running around in tax friendly EVs and PHEVs.
I was going to rant on about how the whole system is geared towards revenue for the establishment as opposed to a government for the people but remembered that this is a site for people who love cars and all things car. Sorry for going off topic
out of interest..
How Porsches do you own and how many less will you buy from now on
About the wedge Lagonda, it
and yet..
It sold in insignificant quantities (as much as I love it and would lose a limb to own one)
Hear, Hear....
Well said, if rebading a VW keeps the 911 going then jacking up a DB11 is going make sure there is a DB12!