Aston Martin is currently deciding on a site for a second assembly plant, and when an announcement comes by the end of 2015, expect Alabama to be the winner, according to a report by Automotive News Europe.
This southern U.S state is an “obvious choice,” Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said, although all options are still on the table.
“Our principal customers will be in the United States and China,” he explained. “A China location would be difficult because Aston Martin would have to form a joint venture with a local automaker. It is also more difficult to export vehicles from China.”
Another reason why Alabama has the edge to host the future Aston Martin plant is its proximity with a Mercedes-Benz facility that produces SUVs. As you may know, Daimler owns a 5% stake in the British automaker and has agreed to supply the latter with high-performance V8 engines and electronic architectures for its next-generation sports cars.
Aston Martin plans to increase sales from 4,000 units last year to 15,000 in 2019 with the launch of the new DBX crossover.