The idea of a 4-door sports car always sounded very lucrative. Almost all of the major supercar manufacturers contemplated one and Lamnorghini (Estoque), Porsche (Panamera) and Aston Martin (Rapide) even went ahead and made one. But now the British automaker is cutting production of the Rapid, which is priced at Rs. 2.15 crore (ex-showroom, Mumbai). Production of the Aston Martin Rapid will drop by 25 cars per week, making it to 1250 vehicles being produced every year. This is a significant drop from the earlier planned 2000 cars per year.

Aston Martin has also announced the end of an 8-year production deal with Magna Steyr, six years ahead of schedule. This comes as a surprise to most and would cost the British automaker close to £10 million. Magna Steyr is an Austrian contract manufacturing firm, which produces cars on contractual basis. Could the slowdown hurt Aston Martin? We are not quite sure, but Ford sold the supercar maker at the right time. Meanwhile, lets feast our eyes on the beautiful Rapide.

Aston Martin India Launch - Click above for high resolution picture gallery

James Bond may not be India, but the bond car is here. Aston Martin has just launched its supercars in India. Present on the occasion are Mr. Lalit Choudary, Director, Performance Cars (Division of Infinity Cars) and Mr. Marek Reichman, Director of Design at Aston Martin. Details are being announced while we type this. Prices start at Rs. 1.55 crore for the Vantage, Rs. 2.15 crore for the Rapid and the One 77 will set you back by a whooping Rs. 20 crore.

To achieve optimal weight distribution, the One-77′s 7.3 liter V12 engine is mounted so far back that almost half the engines sits behind the base of the windshield.

Aston Martin will sell all its models in India expect the Cygnet. The Mumbai dealership (Infinity Cars – Pedder Road) is thrown open today and another dealership in Delhi will be coming up within a month. Aston Martin have already got about 15 – 20 bookings and are positive to cash in on emerging markets like India. They are currently present in 43 countries worldwide.

Aston Martin has confirmed the launch of its range of supercars in India on the 15th of April, that is just three days away. The company will unveil the super cars at the Trident Hotel. Details of the Aston Martin cars are yet to be revealed but we expect prices to start at around Rs. 1 crore, going all the way to Rs. 3 crore. Performance cars is the Indian partner for Aston Martin. You might recollect Infinity cars, the famous BMW dealer, which is owned by the same firm. Top officials will be present at the launch and we expect more supercar makers to enter India after seeing the luxury car segment heating up.

The Indian supercar scene has been seeing alot of action off late. Many high end automakers from Ferrari to Koenigsegg have entered India so why should Aston Martin be left behind. The British automaker has decided to launch its high end supercars in India on the 14th of April, 2011 and will have two dealerships, one in Mumbai and the other in New Delhi. The first dealership is located at Kemps Corner and is managed by the Infinity Group (they deal in BMW cars). The New Delhi dealership has been taken by Deutsche Motoren (again a BMW dealer). The cars which will be available to Indian buyers include the DB5, DB9, Vantage and Rapide and will be priced between Rs. 1.2-3 crore. Daniel Craig, the current James Bond will unveil the Vantage V8 at the launch of Aston Martin in India and the company has received 30 bookings already.

Aston Martin is all set to enter India by the end of this year and has tied up with Infinity Cars to open its first showroom in Mumbai. Booking process for Aston Martin cars is set to commence from next week with deliveries in the next 6 months. Aston Martin will initially sell four models, V8, DB9, Rapide and DBS, in India. While V8 and DB9 will come for Rs 1.35 crore and Rs 1.9 crore, Rapide and DBS will be offered for Rs 2.3 crore and Rs 2.8 crore. Above this, customers have to pay for the insurance and registration charges.

Aston Martin has officially unveiled the One-77, which represents all the brand has to offer in terms of craftsmanship and engineering. The One-77 will be the most powerful and fastest Aston Martin ever made.

The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive supercar features a very special version of Aston Martin‘s 6.0L V12 engine that’s been tuned by Cosworth. Enlarged to 7.3 liters of displacement, the One-77′s V12 is a full 25% lighter than the engine on which it’s based while producing in excess of 750 bhp. Aston Martin expects a 0-60mph time of just 3.5 seconds and top speed over 200 mph.

The One-77 also features a monocoque tub comprised entirely of carbon fiber, which helps keep its curb weight around 3,300 lbs. A unique inboard suspension system, six-speed sequential manual gearbox and carbon ceramic brakes all around are a few of the standard features of the One-77.

Aston Martin is building only 77 examples of this remarkable car. The first is due to be delivered to a customer before the end of 2009 with the remaining 76 units coming in 2010.

Aston Martins take on a 4 door supercar, the Rapide is expected to be launched mid next year. These basic computer rederings makees us believe that this family supercar will be a better alternative to the Lamborghini Estoque and Porsche Panamera GT.

Ford sold Aston Martin to Prodrive some time back. Ford own Volvo so its nothing new for a V8 Vantage to have a Volvo key fob.

When Aston Martin was owned by Ford, the British sports car maker digged deep into Ford’s parts bin and gathered everything from sat-navs, switchgears, windows and mirror switches, but when owning a key to an exclusive Aston Martin a customer would appreciate it if someone at the company took the time to remove Volvo from the key fob.

“The keyfob was damaged when we got it back from the client,’ Edward Legge, general manager of Rio Prestige hire told CAR. “Our reaction was amusement and slight horror. We all know they share parts, but you would have thought someone would have invested a tenner to rub the name off.”

Ford still has a $40 million stake in Aston Martin, but Aston Martin assures that the old keys will now be replaced by the new “Emotion Control Units’ and the glass key fobs like the one above found in the new DBS.

Finally after alot of suspense and teaser images we get to see the Aston Martin One-77. Is this car worth the £1 million price tag? Only 77 one-77 will be made, making it quite exquisite.

The Aston Martin One-77 was to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, but Aston has just partially revealed the front quarter. The blackened headlights look good but a one million Aston needs to be really very fast and exquisite.