Wales’ partnership with Aston Martin will be promoted world wide from this week with the iconic car maker’s V8 Vantage pro racing car now proudly sporting the Wales brand
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The new branding is in celebration of Aston Martin’s impending move to Wales and will be showcased globally as the V8 Vantage competes in races in Mexico, the USA, Japan, China and Bahrain in the season ahead.
Last year Aston Martin announced it had selected St Athan from 20 potential global locations for its second manufacturing facility as part of a £200M investment in new products and facilities.
Work is now underway to construct an Aston Martin manufacturing facility at St Athan which is expected to employ 750 workers by 2020, and support many more jobs in the local supply chain.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:
Simon Sproule Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Aston Martin said;;“Aston Martin’s decision to move to St Athan is a huge coup for Wales. It is testament to the can do attitude of Welsh Government, and to the reputation, dedication and skills of our work force.
“We are very proud of our relationship with Aston Martin, and delighted that it will be visible for all to see on the V8 Vantage pro racing car this season.
“I wish the team all the best as they embark on the season ahead and hope that the addition of the Wales brand only serves to add to the team’s success.”
“We've been proud to use Aston Martin Racing to promote our partnership with the Welsh Government and the St Athan project. It's also been a great year for Aston Martin Racing with victory in Le Mans and most recently in Mexico.”
It is estimated that Aston Martin’s move to St Athan will bring economic benefits worth around half a billion pounds to Wales. Earlier this year the Welsh Government advertised up to £60m of Aston Martin contracts on its Sell2Wales procurement channel to ensure that Welsh SMEs could benefit from the construction of the manufacturing facility.
The Welsh Government is working hard to ensure that Wales maximises the economic benefits of Aston Martin’s move to Wales and in April arranged a Business Briefing event to bring representatives of Welsh based academic institutions and innovation focused organisations together with Aston Martin’s senior management team.
As a result a number of these institutions have visited Aston Martin HQ in Gayden to discuss the potential of academic and industrial collaboration and are in active dialogue with the company on a range of potential technology development projects.