RE: Aston Bosses 'Not Looking To Sell'
RE: Aston Bosses 'Not Looking To Sell'
Tuesday 8th April 2008

Aston Bosses 'Not Looking To Sell'

Report: Aston Martin not for sale



Aston Martin is not looking to ‘sell all or part of the company’, company sources have said.

It had been rumoured that Mercedes wants a large stake in Aston but insiders have told Autocar that the company is not for sale.

It looks like the new management team are not prepared to make any more changes to the ownership of the company.

Aston has however been in talks with several carmakers to discuss sharing technology which some reports suggest could include Mercedes hybrid engines.

This could certainly help with Aston’s long-term survival as manufacturers such as Porsche are looking at hybrid technology for their forthcoming Panamera.

The most likely use for Aston would be in the Rapide four-door sports car.

However, according to Autocar, there will be no buyout, although it is suggested that shares in Aston could be offered on the open market in an IPO ‘within five years’.

Author
Discussion

kushrach

Original Poster:

44 posts

215 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Maybe an Indian company can buy it!

GAFF1974

66 posts

243 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Step forward Mr JCB.

wab172uk

2,005 posts

249 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
I don't think Mercedes having a stake in Aston Martin would be a bad thing.
The have plenty of money to invest into new models. Have test facilities AM could use, and they know quite a bit about producing powerful power plants.

Negatives ?

Titan Simba

18,449 posts

216 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
wab172uk said:
I don't think Mercedes having a stake in Aston Martin would be a bad thing.
The have plenty of money to invest into new models. Have test facilities AM could use, and they know quite a bit about producing powerful power plants.

Negatives ?
Negative: AM may land up with the unreliability of a modern Merc. wink

PILCH 23

170 posts

222 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Titan Simba said:
wab172uk said:
I don't think Mercedes having a stake in Aston Martin would be a bad thing.
The have plenty of money to invest into new models. Have test facilities AM could use, and they know quite a bit about producing powerful power plants.

Negatives ?
Negative: AM may land up with the unreliability of a modern Merc. wink
German ownership

Road_Terrorist

5,591 posts

264 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
wab172uk said:
I don't think Mercedes having a stake in Aston Martin would be a bad thing.
The have plenty of money to invest into new models. Have test facilities AM could use, and they know quite a bit about producing powerful power plants.

Negatives ?
Most of the their cars compete, eg DB9 v SL, Rapide v CLS so something would either have to get the chop or get crippled somehow so toes are not stepped on.

clarencegi77

100 posts

215 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
how bout an aston with the 1000Nm V12 engine, as found in the CL65 AMG?

Fetchez la vache

5,878 posts

236 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
PILCH 23 said:
Titan Simba said:
wab172uk said:
I don't think Mercedes having a stake in Aston Martin would be a bad thing.
The have plenty of money to invest into new models. Have test facilities AM could use, and they know quite a bit about producing powerful power plants.

Negatives ?
Negative: AM may land up with the unreliability of a modern Merc. wink
German ownership
after all, German manufacturers are really struggling to make a profit under bad management aren't they rolleyes

Bluebottle911

813 posts

217 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
"Aston Martin is not looking to ‘sell all or part of the company’, company sources have said."


So, it's true thn - it's for sale.wink

peter450

1,650 posts

255 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
hardly a surprise, buy the company, after ford have done the hard work, launch a load of new models based on the existing teck, sell on for a tasty profit

mark3man

245 posts

233 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Helps understand the background if you know who owns a slice of Mercedes.......

HeavyRightFoot

239 posts

219 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
A hybrid Aston???? Noooooo!

Shoot me now please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Valentin

3,363 posts

237 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
clarencegi77 said:
how bout an aston with the 1000Nm V12 engine, as found in the CL65 AMG?
ehhh.... No

Andy Zarse

10,868 posts

269 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Valentin said:
clarencegi77 said:
how bout an aston with the 1000Nm V12 engine, as found in the CL65 AMG?
ehhh.... No
Good God man, are you insane? Where's the character and that Aston magnificence? Efficient and powerful for sure, admirable in engineering terms, but it's highly unlikely to give anyone a hard-on is it? Or at least anyone who understands the brand values. The Ford/Jag V8 has still got that slightly homespun raw edge and it's a real wow factor, even if it isn't quite powerful enough.

belleair302

6,995 posts

229 months

Tuesday 8th April 2008
quotequote all
Anybody ever looked at the board of Aston Martin and the financial structure of the shareholders. Everything has its price and with cars NOT selling in the US and expensive when priced in US $ across the globe, yes in UAE and Dubai the cars are sold based on a US $ amount, the same in Russia and China.

I would not be surprised if some sort of deal is not being done to help the long term liquidity of the loan, and the name of a major manufacturer was not being used by bankers to secure the deal, although BMW is better placed than M-B.

BalhamLotus

281 posts

241 months

Wednesday 9th April 2008
quotequote all
Wow, a company owned by private equity may be sold within five years.

Hold the front page.

flattotheboards

6,688 posts

228 months

Wednesday 9th April 2008
quotequote all
Why cant aston just develop their own engine / hybrid technology? Its not as if thy are short of cash.

Foster2008

94 posts

215 months

Wednesday 9th April 2008
quotequote all
you can all imagine it now german designers Vs. English designers it goes like this in my mind:

English designer: i say old chap this car looks beautiful look at its lines the curves the aero-dynamics

German Designer: nei nei we need more steel chunckier cars nei

it would be a complete shambles it would be a great loss

hellem

29 posts

271 months

Sunday 13th April 2008
quotequote all
Wow you guy do gas......

To put this into prospective:
1) AM uses V12 and V8 engines build by Ford in germany sharing the Escort engine technology.
2) AM has to share the V8 with a close competator's coupé... Tata...
3) When purchasing a Co. it is usual practice to have to garantie current parts sharing and pricing for a miniumum of 5 years

Conclussion: The replacement of the current range of models cannot rely on Ford parts under transfer arrangement pricing. (what will compel Ford germany to build V8 and V12 engines in 2011?)

So logical to shop around for engine sources:
1) MB current engine line-up is not to considered for 2011.
2) How about engines from Ilmor parentage? Light, powerfull and a V10 sound...
3) David Richards the broker of the AM deal and significant share holder has very close relationship with MB since setting up his (now aborted) MB F1 junior team.
All the pieces fit: AM need an establish/reliable source for their engines