Aston Martin, the Ford-owned luxury British sports car marque, will build a new 'cheaper' model at a plant planned for Gaydon, Warwickshire. The new small model will be the cheapest Aston Martin, with an estimated price tag of between £60,000 and £90,000 when it goes on sale in 2003/04.

The move is part of a strategy by parent company Ford to make Aston Martin more competitive with rivals - production is expected to rise from 1,000 units this year to 2,500. Neither of Aston Martin's present factories in Newport Pagnell and Bloxham have the capacity for a third model.

Ford is planning to use Aston Martin as a test bed for advanced technology and will create a research and development centre to bring Aston Martin's engineering team under one roof.