Aston Martin will be shifting production of the Rapide to its headquarters in Gaydon, UK, in the second half of 2012. For the past three years, the car has been built in Austria, at Magna Steyr’s dedicated facility.

Dr Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive of Aston Martin, explains: “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.

“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.”

Dr Bez expressed his gratitude to Magna Steyr for its excellent work which “met all our requirements and expectations.”

Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Aston Martin