Will Aston Martin go under and be sold to Mercedes given cars like the 488 and F12?

When was the last time Aston Martin WAS an "independent?" Pitiful FORD owned them from 1994 to 2007 - and stole their grill profile for damn near ever car they made. Love their history, and many of their cars, but I sure wouldn't have called them "independent" for at least a couple decades.

Have Koenigsegg and McLaren sold out from private ownership? Surely they would qualify as "independent exotic car makers" - each certainly much more exotic than Aston Martin has been for many many years.

p.s.? Why is this in Ferrari General? Other than the mention of a couple F-cars, it has nothing to do with the marque...

 

post-IPO you could make a claim Ferrari is independent now...

IIRC ProDrive still owns Aston. their loses are due to an ancient model lineup and luxury sales falling off due to problems in China, oil prices, etc. DB11 should be a boost (although I agree, I don't love it. mostly the roof line/two tone colors)

I was somewhat surprised that the deal with Mercedes wasn't an outright sale. That would make the most sense. not sure who else would buy them given that relationship, other than some hedge fund that will screw them up.

btw Ford absolutely saved Aston (and probably Jag and Land Rover too), at huge expense to Ford's bottom line. give them some props.

 

I have to think TaTa would have an interest....they have done wonders revitalizing Jag, another ex-Ford Brit company.

AM struggles in the marketplace IMO because they try to straddle the line with supercar pricing but falling short on performance and technology. Beautiful cars inside and out though.

And yes, Ford screwed them over by stealing their grill.

 

TaTa would be the most ideal marriage for AS.

 

Didn't know they were in financial trouble? The Vantage V8 was a homerun in my book. They do have a history of overspending for production in order to keep cars as hand-made as they possibly can. Something that I always found endearing

 

DB11 looks much better in person IMHO. Going forward with Mercedes handling electronics and engines except for the V12's will bring down overhead on AM's part a tremendous amount. They're nearing the point where they'll effectively be a coach builder on a more massive scale than normal.

 

I think they will find a way to hang around. Many people love them.

 

Ferrari build cars, Engine, gearbox, and chassis, All the others use components made by
others, MB use Ilmore and AMG, as do Mclaren, AM powerplant built by Ford in Cologne,
Porsche has a deal with Yamaha.
D.

 

When was the last time Aston made MONEY?

 

Why is anybody surprised that Aston Martins balance sheet is looking even less heathy after they have just invested massively in their first properly new car in over a decade.

They have finally put an all-new car out in the public domain that isn't a direct decendent from the DB9 and a car which should take Aston forward for the next decade. Not a budget re-hash for once, a properly new car.

The DB11 may not appeal to the 'pipe and slippers' old guard Aston owners because of the turbo power but it is absolutely stunning in the flesh and will have the performance to match. Oh and I certainly wouldn't consider the R8 or Honda NSK as a competitor.... That's like comparing a pair of Nike trainers to a pair of brougues....

 

Do they really still make their gearboxes* and chassis nowadays?

BTW Ferrari did not used to make their chassis (Gilco) and bodies (Pinin Farina, etc.) as we all know.


Also I thought all new AM models would be Mercedes powered?
Pete
* - According to this admittedly Wiki entry the F458, LaFerrari and California use a Getrag transmission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-clutch_transmission#Getrag

 

Here's how I see it:

First of all, Ford rescued AM back in the 90s, helped push forward the DB7, the 6L V12 and the VH scalable platform on which all Gaydon era/current vehicles are built. Still a relevant platform today.
AM operates their own engine mfg in Cologne.
The new twin-turbo 5.2 V12 was designed in house.
The basis for new turbo V8s will come from AMG
Electronics will be sourced through Mercedes - likely from their Tier 1s
AM will develop a hyper car in partnership with Red Bull to compete at the top of the range of exotics.
The Fusion grille is a similar "tribute" to AM styling. Not a copy. Their is a mutual benefit to both companies as a result.

The exotic car market will be tough on every manufacturer while the world economy is chilling. Every car manufacturer will refine its sourcing and partnerships. More to come...

 

"The Fusion grille is a similar "tribute" to AM styling
well, you will hear some disagreement there.. the Fusion having AM feature as a tribute? I would like the fusion to stay as far as possible from Aston features. It is caricatural and degrading. what a mockery from Ford. They should know better

 

Why? - Is the Fusion (Mondeo in Europe) not an attractive looking family car? - Personally I think it looks great, and over here in Europe it's looks are helping it sell pretty well.

Aston Martin don't seem to have an issue with Ford's grille (otherwise they would have either taken legal action over it, or at the very least have made a public complaint about it!), so why should others have such an issue with it?

Some people really do get all het up over the silliest of things!

 

I just think that any small family car trying to imitate features of some luxury/exotic car is tacky. What would you think of an exotic trying to imitate a family car? Well actually someone has : the new Maserati levante and I think it is an abortion.
A family car designer can be creative taking ideas from his own rather than from an higher class of cars. Emulating others is what kit cars are all about I think.

 

AM has two major problems:

1. Their internals and performance suck compared to competition, especially looking at price.

2. Their best designs are squandered on limited production cars. One-77 and Vulcan should be regular series production cars aimed replacing the Vanquish and the V12 Vantage.

Unless their SUV is a success, I think AM will ultimately fail financially sooner or later.

 

AM is not about performance. AM is about class.

Even from day one Jaguars, Ferraris, etc. would piss all over AM's performance wise, but AM's had the extra class and snobbery factor. That is why you buy an AM. No other reason.
Pete

 

The problem is you no longer have to give up much in class and luxury in order to have the performance.

 

This.

 

Just ordered an Aston. Preferred the looks of the Aston, inside and out, to those of the roughly comparable Ferrari - and most of all much preferred dealing with Aston over Ferrari. The Ferrari substantially outperforms the Aston, but I don't care.

Can't see Aston surviving in its current form, unless the DB11 is a massive success.

Already a snob, and impossibly classy, so the car won't help me much on those counts.

 

right! I would call it class and not snobbery. Many Aston owners are very nice and friendly people, not sobs. I have seen snobs driving Ferraris or maseratis too. These typically know little about the car and dont belong to a club or a forum. The Aston has what a F car does not have and vice versa.
the aston remain a performing car but not a the F level for the same amount of money spent and that is ok. It is also a "less visible" car on the road and after many years of being gaulked at, it is nice to see a car discreetly appreciated.

 

I guess it really depends how that loss was born.

If it was through investment in talent acquisition and technology/future models it can have a positive outcome and may be a sound investment. If its through terrible management and has been squandered away then the future is very dark for the company.