Aston Martin-Mercedes tie-up: secret plans revealed by CAR

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 06 August 2008 11:20 Aston Martin and Mercedes are plotting a wide-ranging tie-up that could see the two famous brands collaborate on engines, hybrids, transmission and even entire platforms, CAR can reveal. The top-secret partnership between Aston and Merc – dubbed Project Alligator by the Germans – is detailed in our exclusive story in the new September 2008 issue of CAR Magazine. The scoop includes the lowdown on: • How Mercedes engines could power future Aston Martins • AMG's 6.2-litre V8 tipped for Vantage models• Diesels and hybrids from Germany planned for Aston• Whole platforms to be shared by top-end models• Eight-speed Merc auto bound for British sports cars• Why Maybach and Aston could co-operate on future modelsWe speak to the engineers and insiders who are working on Project Alligator and spill the beans on the secret project that will reshape future generations of Aston Martins.

Mitsubishi to kill current U.S.-made lineup, bring in new platform

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to kill its current lineup of U.S.-made vehicles, including the Eclipse sporty car and Endeavor crossover, over the next three years and switch to producing global vehicles at its Illinois plant, partly to target export markets. The current nameplates will be phased out by 2014 as part of the carmaker's “Jump 2013” mid-term business plan unveiled Thursday by president Osamu Masuko.

One Lap of the Web: Remembering the dearly departed

-- With news that Toyota is leaving the great state of California for the greater (by landmass, anyway; your own opinion may vary) state of Texas, it's worth reminding ourselves that Toyota in America started as one lonely building on 6000 Hollywood Blvd., having taken over a former Rambler dealership. (The site is still a successful Toyota dealership.) That first year of sales in 1958 saw 287 Toyopet Crowns and one Land Cruiser sold -- more as curiosities than as practical transportation, we'd wager. -- At any rate, Toyota's move from California to Texas is moving from "one of the most eco-friendly states in the union," according to Ward's Auto, "to the U.S.’s equivalent of China." -- Ten years ago today, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the line at Lansing Car Assembly.