Aston Martin building new crossover in Wales
Aston Martin production will remain in the UK the carmaker announced this week, with the confirmation that it had chosen a facility in Wales to hand-build the new DBX model over a site in the US.
The SUV crossover and its new home is part of a £200 million investment in products and facilities, which will also fund the production line for the DB11 sports car at the British luxury carmaker's headquarters in Gaydon, creating an estimated total 1,000 UK jobs.
The Welsh facility, spread across 90 acres, will be constructed at the start of next year, with full vehicle production commencing at the hi-tech plant in 2020.
Production of the new DBX crossover SUV will commence in 2020, Aston Martin confirmed this week.
In November last year, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said the brand was mulling over a choice between two UK sites and a US facility for the production of the DBX SUV crossover.
His comments came shortly after the British car manufacturer announced it was culling 300 of its staff before the end of 2015 as part of a 'major restructuring' affecting administration and technical departments at the firm.
However, the confirmation of the new production hub in Wales, along with the forthcoming DB11 being built at the Warwickshire HQ, will open the doors to 1,000 new jobs, and a further 3,000 supply-chain positions on the back of the £200 million investment.
The new site, which is currently in use by the Ministry of Defence, will be operational in four year's time, the carmaker announced.
Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: 'During our 103-year history, Aston Martin has become famous for making beautiful hand-crafted cars in England.
'Through a detailed evaluation of over 20 potential global locations, we were consistently impressed with the focus on quality, cost and speed from the Welsh Government team.
'As a great British company, we look forward to St Athan joining Gaydon as our second centre of hand-crafted manufacturing excellence.'