Louis Vuitton to acquire Aston Martin

[SDNR]

But wouldn't BMW be a better candidate ?!

I always thought BMW would be the best option ...but then, they are kind of competing against Aston anyway.

LVMH's ownership of Aston will undoubtedly bring a high degree of creativity to the conception of new models. We can expect some very exotic and very expensive options too I think.

 

[LaArtist]

^well rob..my point was.. some cars have their charm in the way they fail certain things..
in this list i include
Alfa
Aston
TVR
Ferrari
Pre Vag ( REAL) lambos
and the list goes on

ofcourse we would love these to be better.. but still will they carry the same magic??
i belive some has been lost in the case Lamborghini.. they aint as wild as they where..its sad

 

[SDNR]

i belive some has been lost in the case Lamborghini.. they aint as wild as they where..its sad

Yes that is true Artist ...I agree with you.

Aston will still be made in England, and the French will want to preserve the English character -- they understand that sort of thing better than the Germans I think.

 

[Osnabrueck]

One thing is for sure, quality will be of utmost importance to LVMH -- they expect nothing but the best of everything -- I might even become an Aston fan.

I actually believe that the LVMH group, of all possible custodians, would do a fine job of grooming the Aston Martin brand into something extraordinary. Of course the stumbling block here is that Aston isn't just an iconic brand, it's also a car company.

If you look through LVMH's portfolio it's clear that they understand the soul of what makes a luxury brand work. While it would be fantastic to see this kind of raw discipline applied to a car like the DB9, there's also the fact that car companies are complex animals that require commitments that are far above and beyond what is involved when we're talking clothing, jewelry and spirits.

It almost sounds like a dream, to have a "pseudo in house" car brand with genuine ties to the world of luxury goods. In a perfect world, BMW would take up the engineering and industrial design aspects, and LVMH would take care of the marketing, the front end and the interior detailing.

 

[LaArtist]

Yes that is true Artist ...I agree with you.

Aston will still be made in England, and the French will want to preserve the English character -- they understand that sort of thing better than the Germans I think.

yep lets hope for the best..
they sure as hell have a impressive portfolio..
im pretty sure they can manage AM as best as can be managed

 

[SDNR]

.... car companies are complex animals that require commitments that are far above and beyond what is involved when we're talking clothing, jewelry and spirits.

This is very true Josh. Still, LVMH have vast amounts of cash to throw at the project.

It almost sounds like a dream, to have a "pseudo in house" car brand with genuine ties to the world of luxury goods. In a perfect world, BMW would take up the engineering and industrial design aspects, and LVMH would take care of the marketing, the front end and the interior detailing.

I cannot imagine LVMH building their own engines etc. I expect they will look to BMW or VW for the tech -- I am optimistic.

 

[Giannis]

So who did 100% sure buy Aston Martin?

I am confused...

 

[EnI]

So who did 100% sure buy Aston Martin?

I am confused...

No one yet.
Bidders still bidding. Auction still going on. Next round expected soon.

 

[mrniall]

That rumour is all over the 'net including a couple of financial sites, I suppose we will just need to wait and see if its true or not.
If true it would make for some interesting optional extras - Moet Chiller - Matching luggage and of course they could make AstonMartin aftershave the options are endless

 

[Zafiro]

new bidders

Prodrive founder bidding for Aston Martin

We’ve already seen what Prodrive and Aston Martin can do when they work together, so imagine what the luxury brand could be capable of if the founder of Prodrive, David Richards, is running the show. That is just one possible scenario if MarketWatch reports about Richards leading a consortium to buy the brand prove true.

Richards’ consortium is said to be among the groups left after the bidding process for Aston closed last month. Prodrive is the company that runs Aston Martin’s racing program, and is also rumoured to be in the process of starting its own Formula One team. If Richards is successful, we could one day see a new Prodrive Aston Martin team competing against the likes of Ferrari and McLaren in the pinnacle of motorsport.

The bid is estimated at close to £450 million, which was enough to put it in the final round, competing against Doughty Hanson & Co., Syrian-born property magnate Simon Halabi and Egyptian investment bank Naeem Capital.