Daimler, owners of the Mercedes-Benz brand, is reportedly in ‘early stage’ talks with Aston Martin about supplying components and working with the British car maker on technical assistance.
The talks involve Aston Martin bosses and the two major shareholders, Investindustrial and the Kuwaiti-listed Investment Dar.
A Daimler spokeswoman was quoted as saying that no decisions about potential collaboration have been made, but that “both sides know and respect each other very much”.
While buying in base engines from Mercedes makes sense, any future collaboration could go as far as platform sharing, with the current SLS supercar being an ideal potential candidate.
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Towel
Speedraser....
You asked: "So you're ready to throw in the towel? You think that the ONLY options for Aston Martin are 1) go under, or 2) become Mercedes-Benzes?"
What is suggested by the article and my comments is a way for Aston Martin to survive, and no one here suggested that AM actually become Mercedes-Benzes. There are many ways to "skin a cat" (assuming people really do such things (^_^)); this method is one of them. Certainly Horatio Pagani has no trouble with an MB engine inside his cars, and is in fact rather proud of it.
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The Aston V12, may well have
The Aston V12, may well have been vastly improved/reengineered from the Ford V6, however the fact remains it is at its heart a Ford engine, I dont have a problem with that. The origin was the Duratec 30 engine as used in the Mondeo ST220, that was originally a Porsche design, with Cosworth heads, by no means was it a poor engine, it was also turbo charged and used in the Noble M400
NMGOM, So you're ready to
NMGOM,
So you're ready to throw in the towel? You think that the ONLY options for Aston Martin are 1) go under, or 2) become Mercedes-Benzes?
Nearly EVERY car company has seen major sales declines since '07/'08, so there is no reason to think AM should be any different. Yes, AM needs cash (hopefully they have some now with the new investment). Yes, it's very expensive to design a new car/platform/engine. But an Aston that isn't an Aston is of no interest to me. Fiat owns and funds Ferrari -- Ferraris have dedicated Ferrari engines and platforms. There is no platform sharing with Ferrari. Similarly, Aston needs a backer that will allow it the funding required to build Aston Martins. Astons have unique characters and characteristics, and without that, what's the point? That character and feel doesn't come just from pretty designs and beautiful materials, or because the CEO says it's the real thing -- just look at the Cygnet (or rather, please don't).
A Conti GT is a great car, but I have no interest in owning one. A Mulsanne, on the other hand, is the real deal. The new Ghost -- an uber-nice 7-series. No thanks. A Mercedes redesigned/re-imagined/re-whatevered as an "Aston" would be a crying shame.
It's a shame that Ford no longer owns Aston, since they were a benevolent owner and did AM a world of good. The Jag-based DB7 saved AM when they really needed saving -- the situation then was very different from the current one. Afterwards, Ford put up the money to do the right thing for such a great marque as AM -- develop the current, bespoke Astons, with their own platform and engines, which have been hugely successful. As more and more car firms share more and more major components -- such as platforms and engines -- the cars they produce inarguably become less distinctive. Variety is what makes things interesting. It's one thing to have increasing sameness among volume brands such as VWAudiSkoda, RenaultNissan, PeugeotCitroen (huge loss to the automotive world to see Citroen lose its uniqeness). It's another to see the truly special marques become glorified VWs, Audis, BMWs, etc.