NEWS
Mercedes-Benz to buy out Aston Martin?
Rumours are circulating that German carmaker will acquire Aston Martin in its entirety, but no confirmation is forthcoming from BenzIn July last year, Mercedes and Aston Martin announced a technical partnership that would enable the British sportscar specialist to gain access to bespoke AMG engines and electric components for its next generation of vehicles – including replacements for the V8 Vantage and DB9.
As part of the deal – which didn’t involve any cash – Mercedes-Benz received five per cent non-voting shares in Aston Martin and earned it observer status on the Aston Martin board.
However, now rumours are circulating that Mercedes will buy Aston Martin in its entirety, although Merc chief Dieter Zetsche (pictured) has not provided any confirmation that there is the slightest substance to the scuttlebutt.
All he has been quoted as saying for now is: “This is a fantastic brand, and we are willing to support its further development.”
The lion’s share of Aston Martin is currently held by Investindustrial (36 per cent) and The Investment Dar, a Kuwaiti investment group (58.2 per cent). The remainder is in the hands of individual investors.
Since being cut loose by Ford in 2007, Aston Martin has lacked a major technology partner, and this has obviously impacted on its ability to develop new platforms and engines.
The result is that it has had to soldier on with its ageing Vertical-Horizontal (VH) architecture and long-in-the-tooth V8 and V12 powerplants.
The partnership with Mercedes will address this, with the German carmaker’s high-performance AMG division developing a new state-of-the-art V8 engine that will be slotted into the next-gen Vantage.
According to UK’s Autocar magazine, Aston Martin will specify its requirements for the engine, but AMG will program the ECU and carry out all the development work.
The publication suggests the next Vantage’s motor will be a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 (being developed for the Mercedes C63 AMG) that cranks out around 360kW.
In addition to sourcing engines from Merc, there is also the potential for platform sharing, with outgoing CEO Dr Ulrich Bez stating last year that the Lagonda SUV project was back on the table.
“Four years ago, I already brought out the Lagonda [SUV] concept which was based on a Mercedes platform,” Bez said last year. “If we are looking at the next 10 or 20 years, there should be no limits.”
Bez also confirmed last year that V8s weren’t the only engines being considered for future Aston Martins. “We are mostly looking at V8s, but I would think we are talking about V6s in the next few years as well,” he was quoted as saying.
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Written byGautam Sharma
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If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
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