Friday 8th September 2006

Aston buy-out rumours swirl

AM won't be Japanese say analysts

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AM Rapide: will it be a BMW?

Whatever Aston Martin becomes, it won't be Japanese. That's the view of auto industry analysts anyway.

As speculation continues to swirl around the iconic marque, the consensus seems to be that Honda, Toyota and Nissan -- companies with deep enough pockets to fund the purchase of Aston Martin -- are unlikely to want to buy it.

The marque would undoubtedly add a halo effect to their more quotidian cars, but they're not in a position of offer the kinds of service levels that AM customers have become accustomed to, according to analyst Koji Endo from Credit Suisse Securities, who said: "The customer base is totally different. Those who buy Aston Martin cars are ultra rich."

Although Toyota is bidding to push its Lexus brand upmarket, "the categories [of Lexus and Aston Martin] are totally different. It would be hard to expect synergy," said analyst Tatsuya Mizuno at FitchRatings.

None of the three companies mentioned have made any comments on the matter.

Perhaps the most likely candidate is the highly profitable BMW, whose Rolls Royce subsidiary wouldn't clash with the far more sporty spirit of Aston Martin, and whose own brand is becoming harder to push upmarket as its perception of being a premium brand has eroded due to the cars' ubiquity.

[james123]

i hope it will be back into british hands because we are anyway the best at making sports cars.