Aston Martin eying U.S. plant for first crossover

Aston Martin is considering setting up shop in the U.S.

Aston Martin could establish a production base in the United States to build the company's upcoming utility model, a new report finds.

According to the latest report from the Financial Times, Aston Martin is seriously considering a factory in the U.S. to build the brand's first crossover vehicle. Although it sounds as if the U.S. is the frontrunner for the new factory, Aston is also considering sites in the UK, including a former Jaguar plant in Coventry.

No specific states were mentioned in the report, but the British automaker is reportedly being courted by states in the Southern portion of the U.S. States like Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee are already home to Mercedes-Benz, Kia, BMW and Volkswagen.

Although the South already has a strong lineup of automakers, the region is reportedly concerned about losing business to Mexico. In recent months several automakers, including Toyota and Audi, have picked locations in Mexico over the U.S. for major factory investments.

In order to woo Aston Martin, the report claims that states have already offered huge tax and land breaks to the company. However, Aston Martin has so far declined to comment on the matter.

Aston Martin's first crossover is expected to be inspired by the recent DBX concept. Though not a conventional CUV by design, the production car will feature a higher ride-height and all-wheel drive. It remains unknown if the production version of the DBX with have two-doors or four.

Aston is hoping to deliver about 8,000 units of the CUV per year, which could help the comply to boost its annual sales to around 15,000 vehicles.

Live images by Ronan Glon.