Why are AM's core products not selling?

[Bobajobbob]

Very very simply and only in my personal opinion the new range are simply a bit too expensive vs the competition and not aesthetically strong enough to justify the extra cost.

[jonnyfox]

Bobajobbob said:

Very very simply and only in my personal opinion the new range are simply a bit too expensive vs the competition and not aesthetically strong enough to justify the extra cost.

Finally a post where you don't lose interest because the poster just waffles.

True ^ and I'll throw in...

A sign of the times, on the right, the new generation can't afford it and on the left, they just don't want it. Musk' s timing is absolutely bang on the money and appeals to the middle ground. Which has always been and will always be, the earner.

Edited by jonnyfox on Thursday 9th July 23:24

[quench]

CB07 said:

All in my opinion of course. It does appear to me that Palmer and Reichman's decision to appeal to those of an avaricious disposition, youtube influencers and the supercar set, rather than focusing their historically more conservative customer base, was unsuccessful. As far as I can tell, the plan was to radically differentiate the core models, on the belief they could enter new markets (which IMO has been a marginal success), and presumably retain previous interest by the old guard (less successful).

Couldn't have said it better.

Was it foolishness or simply starry-eyed greed that afflicted AM management, when they failed to differentiate between a handful of internet poseurs producing content for people who live in their parents' basements, and a core of relatively conservative, loyal customers who as history has shown, have actually been willing to put their money where their mouths are?

Aston has always been and IMO will always be (we hope) a niche business, and can never hope to compete with the likes of Ferrari and certainly not Porsche in terms of volume.

We can debate about AMG engines and turbos 'til the cows come home, but IMO there is one key issue above all others. Aston customers know they will not be buying the fastest, best handling or most technological car, but they will forgive all that knowing they will be signing a cheque for the best looking car, and this is where the current lineup falls short.

Edited by quench on Friday 10th July 01:34

[anonymous-user]

jonnyfox said:

Finally a post where you don't lose interest because the poster just waffles.

True ^ and I'll throw in...

A sign of the times, on the right, the new generation can't afford it and on the left, they just don't want it. Musk' s timing is absolutely bang on the money and appeals to the middle ground. Which has always been and will always be, the earner.

Edited by jonnyfox on Thursday 9th July 23:24

My apologies, I'll try and limit my waffling, going forward.
Cheers

[2 GKC]

Ghastly interiors can’t be helping

[8Speed]

NFC 85 Vette said:

My apologies, I'll try and limit my waffling, going forward.
Cheers

I'd rather you didn't because I find your posts interesting & well considered.

[Minglar]

8Speed said:

NFC 85 Vette said:

My apologies, I'll try and limit my waffling, going forward.
Cheers

I'd rather you didn't because I find your posts interesting & well considered.

Me too. I may be mistaken, but since you’ve sold your Vanquish you seem to be posting on here more often! Which is a good thing.

Best Regards

Minglar

[anonymous-user]

Minglar said:

8Speed said:

NFC 85 Vette said:

My apologies, I'll try and limit my waffling, going forward.
Cheers

I'd rather you didn't because I find your posts interesting & well considered.

Me too. I may be mistaken, but since you’ve sold your Vanquish you seem to be posting on here more often! Which is a good thing.

Best Regards

Minglar

It probably means I've bought something, which might look hideous and have a ghastly interior.

It could lead to fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, forty years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria.

name that film...

[Jon39]

NFC 85 Vette said:

My apologies, I'll try and limit my waffling, going forward.
Cheers

Don't do that Jon.

Your insight into AML activities and the motor trade, is probably amongst the best on here.
Please continue to keep us informed.

Possibly introducing paragraph headings might please those wanting shorter editions. Anyone less interested in detail, might then be quite happy just to read the headings.

(Should I be congratulating you on your new Vantage?)

[anonymous-user]

Jon39 said:

Don't do that Jon.

Your insight into AML activities and the motor trade, is probably amongst the best on here.
Please continue to keep us informed.

Possibly introducing paragraph headings might please those wanting shorter editions. Anyone less interested in detail, might then be quite happy just to read the headings.

(Should I be congratulating you on your new Vantage?)

That's very kind of you, thank you. I find trouble in condensing a lot of nuanced 'stuff' into a few sentences. Maybe a short version and a long version is the way forward

We'll have to wait a couple of weeks to see what shape the unnecessary purchase took

[MitchT]

If I were to buy an AM it would be because I wanted something really special but understated. AM always used to tick that box. Look at the new Vantage though - those horrid black plastic lips around the front and back and the oversize gloss black wheels make it look like something a teenager with delusions of being 50 Cent would aspire to. If I wanted to stick out like a sore thumb I'd buy a Lamborghini. To my mind, the purpose of AM was to cater to people who wanted something elegant and tasteful, but they no longer do that. It's like they've abandoned the people who would typically buy their products in favour of trying to compete in an already saturated lunatic supercar market for "look at me" types.

[Jon39]

After the usual delay, the DVLA new registration figures are now available for Q1 2020.
I used to be 'shot down' whenever I mentioned this subject, but now that AML have openly admitted to the disappointing core model sales, perhaps the current comparison figures might be of interest again.

This is Great Britain only, but that used to be the biggest market for AML.

The 5th year of production for DB9 was 2008 and for the DB11, 2020.
Quarter One
2008 DB9 = 181
2020 DB11 = 113

The 3rd year of production of the VH Vantage was 2007 and for the new Vantage, 2020.
Quarter One
2007 VH Vantage = 425
2020 new Vantage = 84 (incl. 19 manual AMR models)

Dealers were of course closed during part of March 2020.

[Octavarium]

MitchT said:

If I were to buy an AM it would be because I wanted something really special but understated. AM always used to tick that box. Look at the new Vantage though - those horrid black plastic lips around the front and back and the oversize gloss black wheels make it look like something a teenager with delusions of being 50 Cent would aspire to. If I wanted to stick out like a sore thumb I'd buy a Lamborghini. To my mind, the purpose of AM was to cater to people who wanted something elegant and tasteful, but they no longer do that. It's like they've abandoned the people who would typically buy their products in favour of trying to compete in an already saturated lunatic supercar market for "look at me" types.

Thanks for your input Mitch. If you don’t mind, I’ll just go and throw up in my DB11 now whilst I contemplate the ghastly interior.

[Minglar]

NFC 85 Vette said:

Minglar said:

8Speed said:

NFC 85 Vette said:

My apologies, I'll try and limit my waffling, going forward.
Cheers

I'd rather you didn't because I find your posts interesting & well considered.

Me too. I may be mistaken, but since you’ve sold your Vanquish you seem to be posting on here more often! Which is a good thing.

Best Regards

Minglar

It probably means I've bought something, which might look hideous and have a ghastly interior.

It could lead to fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, forty years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria.

name that film...

Despite the picture, I suspect that you could be getting a new Vantage? Please keep us posted when you take delivery, (although if it is one of those ugly beasts, it’s probably wise to have a good think about which thread you use!) Sorry this has moved a bit off topic, but I’m not going to speculate on the title of this thread, as I think plenty has been discussed on PH already. The future is what matters now, not the last five or six years.

Best Regards

Minglar

[chesby]

MitchT said:

If I were to buy an AM it would be because I wanted something really special but understated. AM always used to tick that box. Look at the new Vantage though - those horrid black plastic lips around the front and back and the oversize gloss black wheels make it look like something a teenager with delusions of being 50 Cent would aspire to. If I wanted to stick out like a sore thumb I'd buy a Lamborghini. To my mind, the purpose of AM was to cater to people who wanted something elegant and tasteful, but they no longer do that. It's like they've abandoned the people who would typically buy their products in favour of trying to compete in an already saturated lunatic supercar market for "look at me" types.

I agree. The new Vantage with the hunter grill appears to be aimed at a younger, brasher buyer who is better served by Lamborghinis and brightly coloured Porsches with big spoilers a loud colour schemes.

I’m sure many of you were invited to the Vantage previews at Gaydon.

I don’t know what you guys said but when I was asked my opinion I said

“The backs OK, the side view pretty good but from the front it’s bloody ugly. You need to change that front”

The old V8 is often opined as the best looking car ever.

The new one whilst good from most angles isn’t. That and the fact that it’s list price is considerably dearer than the outgoing model also suppressed demand.

[GroundZero]

I guess the question could be looked at in a different way.

To me, the AM Vantage (being probably their main product sale), is classed as a Sports GT car, of which there are not that many 'affordable' options on the market these days. A sports GT being a car that offers a level of practicality and reliability that would allow you to go on a 2 week driving tour holiday in relative comfort but also be agile and powerful enough to be fun on the track.

So if you are in the market to spend a max of £120,000 on a brand new Sports GT car, why is it that Porsche's 911 are succeeding where AM is not?
Or is it a case that BMW M4 and even the Mustang is drawing away prospective AM buyers to a lower budget range for what would offer something of a similar experience?

The option of a manual gearbox would be a big tick box for myself and many others, so this is why I've not put other cars in the list to compare.
Trying to compare a 'tick box' like for like to gain a better appreciation of the issue that AM currently enduring.

I do hope they turn a corner somehow (no pun intended), because AM is a great brand with a lot of pedigree.

[S1-NOS]

I feel sympathy for Aston in some ways - they branched off in a new direction and made DB10 for the Bond film. Everyone said "it's amazing" (I didn't like the front personally) which gave them the belief they had a winner and pressed on with the new Vantage. Then it came out and people said "its ugly" etc. That must have been rather frustrating after all that time and effort.

I don't get the "oh it has a Merc engine" thing either - I drove one around Silverstone last year and it was incredible - sooo much grunt. Mine felt very slow on the way home!

As for the youtubers running down British companies to get a few clicks / pennies, when people's livelihoods are on the line....

[Bobajobbob]

I was never a big fan of the front of the DB10 however I still prefer it over new Vantage because they managed to avoid the panel gap across the nose which is one of the features of the new Vantage that has always compromised the aesthetics for me.

[DB9VolanteDriver]

S1-NOS said:

I don't get the "oh it has a Merc engine" thing either - I drove one around Silverstone last year and it was incredible - sooo much grunt. Mine felt very slow on the way home!

Because the complaint is not about the engine’s performance, it’s about its provenance. I’m sure the engine is great, but that does not matter for some, including me.

[dbs2000]

Bobajobbob said:

I was never a big fan of the front of the DB10 however I still prefer it over new Vantage because they managed to avoid the panel gap across the nose which is one of the features of the new Vantage that has always compromised the aesthetics for me.

This, and the way it carries around the wing. It just doesn't look good.