I am a bit worried about Aston Martin!

[Thankyou4calling]

They have a great heritage and tradition but to my mind seem to be off course. The DB9 is a fabulous looking car but essentially 8 years old. In performance terms an XKR does all it can do (and more) for less than half the price. The V8 Vantage was originally touted as a £60k 911 slayer yet they come in at over £100k and seem to fall short in many areas. The Rapide is in a bit of a no mans land, the Panamera doesn't have the lines but looks very purposeful and again sees it off in performance terms at a much lower price. Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

I would much rather see an entry level Spider to compete with the Boxster at around £40k, a proper sportscar up against the 458 and Gallardo (plus the new McLaren) and maybe an SUV which could slay the X6 and Cayenne.

I really feel the company will struggle as the economy improves if it can't get a better line up and broaden its appeal more positively. Any one agree or have a different opinion?

[nsmith1180]

Have you seen the aston 4x4 concept??





A face not even a mother could love. Horrific.

[Deranged Granny]

Thankyou4calling said:

Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

They have no choice with the CO2 regs.

[Cock Womble 7]

nsmith1180 said:

A face not even a mother could love. Horrific.

And not even a proper Aston-shaped grille, either.

[davepoth]

It's a Lagonda.

In any case, compare it to the Cayenne and it looks like a supermodel. The Rapide is lovely, and the 1-77 is very nice as a design exercise. Remember we're now at the point where the "oh st, the bankers have run out of money" halt on design work in 2008 is hitting the cars that are arriving in showrooms, so any new "mass market" cars are delayed a bit. I expect there's a DB10 in the works. At least I hope there is...

[polar8]

When they launch a special edition 'Dr Bez' DBS with his signature in the sill plaque you know they're in trouble

[Animala]

That 4X4 has the bloated arse of a Bentley Continental.

[nsmith1180]

davepoth said:

It's a Lagonda.

In any case, compare it to the Cayenne and it looks like a supermodel. The Rapide is lovely, and the 1-77 is very nice as a design exercise. Remember we're now at the point where the "oh st, the bankers have run out of money" halt on design work in 2008 is hitting the cars that are arriving in showrooms, so any new "mass market" cars are delayed a bit. I expect there's a DB10 in the works. At least I hope there is...

Yeah, compared to the Cayenne it does look like a supermodel, but compared to dogst, so do I.

[anonymous-user]

nsmith1180 said:

Have you seen the aston 4x4 concept??.

A shed with a wheel at each corner, lovely.

[Doniger]

nsmith1180 said:

By your command.

[Jasandjules]

Thankyou4calling said:

I really feel the company will struggle as the economy improves if it can't get a better line up and broaden its appeal more positively. Any one agree or have a different opinion?

Hopefully they won't struggle.

It's more of a "rich man's toy" type of machine. It has a following which won't be put off (I hope!) but then I thought that about TVR....

[Blue Oval84]

The thing is, Aston Martin don't really compete with Jaguar or Porsche, Aston view them as volume manufacturers compared to what they put out.

An Aston is just that bit more special than either of those marques in my opinion

[ZeeTacoe]

Deranged Granny said:

Thankyou4calling said:

Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

They have no choice with the CO2 regs.

Yes they do. AM don't make enough cars to qualify.

[Zod]

ZeeTacoe said:

Deranged Granny said:

Thankyou4calling said:

Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

They have no choice with the CO2 regs.

Yes they do. AM don't make enough cars to qualify.

They have to comply with different regulations. The Cygnet is there solely for regulatory purposes.

PS, OP, never heard of the V12 Vantage and the DBS?


Anyway, I felt a bit like the OP until I drove an Aston. Then I had to have one.

[chevronb37]

I drove the full range of cars a month or two ago and without exception they were fantastic. The Vantage in either V8 or V12 format is divine. They are beautifully put together, feel right, smell right and drive superbly. They make you feel good to be around, let alone drive. I wouldn't worry unduly about AML - I think they'll do OK. Let's be honest, they've come through worse...

[Thankyou4calling]

Zod said:

ZeeTacoe said:

Deranged Granny said:

Thankyou4calling said:

Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

They have no choice with the CO2 regs.

Yes they do. AM don't make enough cars to qualify.

They have to comply with different regulations. The Cygnet is there solely for regulatory purposes.

PS, OP, never heard of the V12 Vantage and the DBS?


Anyway, I felt a bit like the OP until I drove an Aston. Then I had to have one.

I have heard of them of course, they are fantastic cars. My point is, where is the company going. It cant keep releasing upgraded or updated versions of these two models. Does it have ambitions to move into other sectors and if so with what. I feel that an AM Boxster competitor would sell like hotcakes without devaluing the brand and get people into them early on. They could then progress within the marque as you can with a Porsche or BMW. I just feel there are wasted opportunities to be capitalised on.

Edited by Thankyou4calling on Saturday 11th December 17:40

[ZeeTacoe]

Zod said:

ZeeTacoe said:

Deranged Granny said:

Thankyou4calling said:

Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

They have no choice with the CO2 regs.

Yes they do. AM don't make enough cars to qualify.

They have to comply with different regulations. The Cygnet is there solely for regulatory purposes.

PS, OP, never heard of the V12 Vantage and the DBS?


Anyway, I felt a bit like the OP until I drove an Aston. Then I had to have one.

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/internal_market/single_market_for_goods/motor_vehicles/interactions_industry_policies/l28200_en.htm

[quote]Derogations are allowed, for a maximum of five calendar years, for manufacturers who produce less than 10 000 cars per year and who are not connected to another manufacturer. Such manufacturers must propose a target consistent with their reduction potential, including the technological potential to reduce their specific emissions of CO2. The Commission will assess this proposal before deciding whether or not to grant a derogation.

They've got 5 years to hybridize the DB9 or do something else. According to the SMMT they only sold 1100 cars in 2009 so they have a massive margin to try and get an exemption from the EU.

[SLacKer]

I was at Aston Amersham last weekend and they had an XKR for a lot less than the DB9 I bought. I didn't give it a second look it cannot hold a candle to AM cars....The End.

[Thankyou4calling]

Is anyone able to access AM sales either in the UK or worldwide for the last few years in comparison to perhaps Bentley, Ferrari and Porsche. The Rapide must be falling well below expectation IMO.

[Cost Captain]

ZeeTacoe said:

Zod said:

ZeeTacoe said:

Deranged Granny said:

Thankyou4calling said:

Now they are launching the Cygnet, which was going to be for sale only to Aston owners but now (needs must) is available to all daft enough to shell out.

They have no choice with the CO2 regs.

Yes they do. AM don't make enough cars to qualify.

They have to comply with different regulations. The Cygnet is there solely for regulatory purposes.

PS, OP, never heard of the V12 Vantage and the DBS?


Anyway, I felt a bit like the OP until I drove an Aston. Then I had to have one.

http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/internal_market/single_market_for_goods/motor_vehicles/interactions_industry_policies/l28200_en.htm

[quote]Derogations are allowed, for a maximum of five calendar years, for manufacturers who produce less than 10 000 cars per year and who are not connected to another manufacturer. Such manufacturers must propose a target consistent with their reduction potential, including the technological potential to reduce their specific emissions of CO2. The Commission will assess this proposal before deciding whether or not to grant a derogation.

They've got 5 years to hybridize the DB9 or do something else. According to the SMMT they only sold 1100 cars in 2009 so they have a massive margin to try and get an exemption from the EU.

and in the years before that they have sold more than 1000 DB9s a year, i doubt last year is a 'normal' year to consider.

so what you're saying is aston martin are choosing to devalue their brand?