Simon, it's McLaren, NOT MacLaren! Detail is important, just like in the games industry... ;)
Like a Dell factory but what comes out is a LOT more fun: We visit Aston Martin
Aston Martin wants to take on Tesla with a 1,000bhp electric version of its Rapide S. The prestige British marque has also recently announced that it has secured funding to build an all-electric crossover car called the DBX. This is all part of a 200m expansion plan for the firm's factory in Gaydon, Warwickshire, and it seemed …
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Sunday 10th May 2015 11:41 GMT Chris G
A battery car
Really, the whole car will have to be one big battery to turn out 1000BHP.
I drove a Tesla S a couple of years ago for about 5 minutes and was impressed by the performance and the very comfortable seats, looks good too, I can't imagine just how good an Aston is going to be but I bet it will cost a bit more than the €83K that the Tesla cost (2013 price).
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Sunday 10th May 2015 16:40 GMT Anonymous Coward
We Don't do Any Engineering ? Really?
And Gaydon is in the area where a good number of the F1 teams have their HQ's. JLR are just up the road.
A good proportion of every Boeing built is source from these islands.
Rolls-Royce make some of the best Aero engines in the world.
{Former Aerospace Avionics Engineer}
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Monday 11th May 2015 08:06 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: We Don't do Any Engineering ? Really?
Whilst there is a wealth of engineering talent in this country, sadly most of it is employed by overseas owned companies - take Jaguar Land-Rover as an example.
At least Aston is owned by a UK led consortium, even if most of the finance comes from abroad.
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Monday 11th May 2015 10:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
I used to lust after Aston Martins until I spent some time working on my friend's DB7. The reality of low volume production means that many parts are not as well developed as the mass produced equivalents. The only really reliable parts are the ones sourced directly from the Ford production line. The reality of hand-built means that parts are assembled with less accuracy than those done by robots. The actual product is not very different to a TVR with an aura of special exclusivity sprinkled over it by the marketing men.
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Wednesday 13th May 2015 00:08 GMT Anonymous Coward
I miss working there :-( but the IT left a lot to be desired!
Ah but the DB7 was basically an XJS underneath! Trust me the Vanquish and especially the DB9 plus everything since are a massive step forward. The big worry is that after being sold by Ford they no longer have the chance to pick the best bits from the parts bins of several other manufacturers.
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Monday 11th May 2015 12:59 GMT Anonymous Coward
Aston Martin Cygnet
I have also been there. I have seen how they meet the farcical uk green credentials by buying fully built Toyota IQ from Japan, shipping them halfway around the world, pulling them apart and refitting them out with new stuff and then selling them on to posh tree huggers with more money than sense.
How very green... Not..
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Wednesday 13th May 2015 01:08 GMT ShortLegs
I was once fortunate enough to have the tour at Bentley. Now that's an example of how to successfully integrate modern manufacturing methods with a hand built car, and get the best of both worlds, and avoid redundancies. 80%of the staff retrained.
The assembly process is, literally, assembly pron. The care that went into each car was phenomenal. 9 months from order to delivery. And one left lusting after a Bentley.. Even at £250,000 a pop.