Aston Martin Rapide Production Moves to the UK

British auto brand Aston Martin today confirmed it will move production of the Rapide to the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, UK. This will happen in the second half of 2012. In 2008, the company appointed Magna Steyr as a partner to produce the car at its facilities in Austria.

The pre-production of the Rapide started at a dedicated Magna Steyr facility in Q4 2009 before the car reached full production in 2010.

The Rapide can accommodate four passenger and offers a luggage space of 301 liters, while delivering “an engaging driving experience synonymous with all Aston Martins”.

The elegant sedan is powered by a hand-built 6.0 liter V12 engine that produces 477 hp at 6,000 rpm and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) at 5,000 rpm. The powerplant is mated to a six speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission that allows the driver to change gear automatically or manually, using the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.

“In 2008 we had facility restrictions at Gaydon which indicated that production of Rapide at Gaydon would likely compromise production of our other cars. We were not prepared to do this,” stated Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez.

“Now, three years on things are very different – Gaydon is more established, more flexible and more efficient. While our overall volume has not changed significantly, we now produce a far richer model mix – eight model lines (plus five variants) compared to three model lines (plus two variants) in 2008 – so Rapide production is now possible,” he added.

“I would like to place on record our gratitude to Magna Steyr and their team of dedicated employees who have become part of the Aston Martin family in the last few years and met all our requirements and expectations,” Bez concluded.