Aston Martin SUV Production Launches in Wales

Three years after taking control of a former military airfield in Wales, Aston Martin Lagonda opens its new manufacturing facility there.

The site at St. Athan in Wales is the marque’s second production plant. However, while the Gaydon facility near Coventry in England’s Midlands will continue to be the home of the company’s sports car production, St. Athan is the base for Aston Martin’s first SUV, the DBX.

The start of full production at St. Athan is expected in second-quarter 2020 and the plant will create up to 600 jobs, rising to 750 when maximum production is reached.

Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO, says: “Opening our new manufacturing facility at St. Athan is a pivotal day for Aston Martin and a vote of confidence in the U.K., with the facility projected to employ up to 750 highly skilled workers at its peak.

“The opening of St. Athan is a hugely important milestone in the company’s growth plan and integral to our ambitions as a global luxury brand with a presence in all major sectors of the market.”

Hiring efforts began as soon as the St. Athan site was purchased from the Ministry of Defence in February 2016. Aston Martin launched a recruitment campaign in Cardiff, which attracted over 3,000 applicants, and within six months the first 40 employees had been hired.

A core group of manufacturing experts from the Gaydon plant is training new employees at St. Athan as the workforce grows.

The 90-acre (36-ha) St. Athan site formerly was the military base of RAF St. Athan, which was home to 14,000 personnel during World War II. After the war, St. Athan continued primarily as a training facility and as the major RAF maintenance base for Vulcan, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Hawk and other aircraft. The last aircraft to be serviced there departed the site in February 2012.