Aston Martin Could Produce Crossover in U.S.

Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. has held exploratory talks with several U.S. states about establishing a factory there to build a crossover vehicle, sources tell the Financial Times.

The company unveiled a two-door crossover concept, the DBX, last month at the Geneva auto show. The all-electric prototype is powered by four electric motors, a configuration likely to be scrapped for a more conventional powertrain if the car goes into production.

CEO Andy Palmer said at the Geneva show that Aston Martin must expand beyond luxury sports cars to survive. Last year the company sold about 4,000 cars, down from a peak of 7,300 in 2007. Palmer hopes to rebuild sales to about 7,000 units per year, largely by adding more models.

Aston Martin is looking for production locations because it lacks capacity at its British headquarters in Gaydon, according to the FT. The newspaper adds that the company apparently does not want to turn over production to a contract assembler.