Maybach and Aston Martin would be cooperating on future models

[Wolfgang]

A Daimler spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires he couldn't confirm the report, saying a decision on Maybach will be made soon. Aston Martin didn't immediately respond to Dow Jones Newswires' request for comment.

Read more: Daimler Won't Hire Aston Martin For Maybach 2nd Generation-Report | Fox Business

 

[K-A]

Good, it was a dumb idea. Scrap this dead weight of Maybach already! It's pathetic how sloppy this company is with how they're handling Maybach!

Where is the focus and strength? Build a damn new one or kill it, enough with this seesaw. I don't think anybody even cares anymore, except for the loyalists.

 

[bmer]

A Daimler spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires he couldn't confirm the report, saying a decision on Maybach will be made soon. Aston Martin didn't immediately respond to Dow Jones Newswires' request for comment.

Read more: Daimler Won't Hire Aston Martin For Maybach 2nd Generation-Report | Fox Business

Interesting quote from that news article:

Mercedes-Benz will develop the next Maybach model itself, at a significantly lower cost than that of the first generation, according to the article.

 

[Nicks]

I don't see really what Aston can contribute to this cooperating. Anything they do - daimler is doing better

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

Best thing anyone can do is let Aston starve itself. The lack of investment (spending in R&D) combined with strong competition from the likes of Porsche and Ferrari, and tighter legislation in emissions and safety will inevitably lead the company to making losses sooner if not later.

What's Aston's next option? badge a Prius as a new model?

It'll be far cheaper for the predators (i.e Daimler, BMW, VAG) to buy Aston when its bleeding red ink, leaking cashflows and has a line-up littered with Toyotas.

 

[Pagani]

No one is letting Aston Martin starve. It is still a company that makes desirable cars. Desirable cars = Money. Money = Willing Investors. No one is going to care that they aren't building the next Maybach.

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

No one is letting Aston Martin starve. It is still a company that makes desirable cars. Desirable cars = Money. Money = Willing Investors. No one is going to care that they aren't building the next Maybach.

When you're only spending $13m a year on R&D, you are STARVING a company! Open your eyes, the signs are there - Cygnet, Virage etc.

I didn't say that the car's current line-up isn't desirable. What i'm saying is that it has nothing in the pipeline. Investors don't just look at what a company has now - they look at its future prospects also. And unfortunately, Aston's future prospects look bleak.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

$13M Yikes!

 

[Tarek]

Lol..

 

[Merc1]

I think it would be wonderful if Mercedes bought Aston-Martin. I don't know why no one has picked up on this, but the 6.2L AMG V8 would be perfect under the hood of the current Aston V8 models. They would go from weak to super-powerful with a simple engine swap, even the sound would be great in an Aston, tweaked a little of course.

Mercedes would have another outlet for V12s also.


I agree Aston is going to be in trouble in the long run, just like Lotus. They need a big partner/owner.


M

 

[BVC500]

Agreed!

 

[Sunny]

I think it would be wonderful if Mercedes bought Aston-Martin. I don't know why no one has picked up on this, but the 6.2L AMG V8 would be perfect under the hood of the current Aston V8 models. They would go from weak to super-powerful with a simple engine swap, even the sound would be great in an Aston, tweaked a little of course.

Mercedes would have another outlet for V12s also.


I agree Aston is going to be in trouble in the long run, just like Lotus. They need a big partner/owner.


M

But Mercedes has such a bad record when in comes to acquisitions and mergers. I rather see AM with BMW or VAG. Or even Tata, along with Jag and Rover. Come to think of it I wonder why someone doesn't put all those British brands along with Lotus under one umbrella.

 

[Ultimate Car Guy]

But Mercedes has such a bad record when in comes to acquisitions and mergers. I rather see AM with BMW or VAG. Or even Tata, along with Jag and Rover. Come to think of it I wonder why someone doesn't put all those British brands along with Lotus under one umbrella.

They did - it was called the Premier Automotive Group, a group owned by Ford, run by a brilliant German executive by the name of Wolfgang Reitzle, had billions of dollars invested it, but was a massive failure.

BMW could be a potential owner - it would be a perfect fit between BMW and Rolls Royce. But that's all i can say in that matter.

I'd still say that Daimler for me is still the best fit. But i do agree with you, the company isn't good when it comes to acquisitions - i'd consider it's latest acquisition (the Mercedes GP F1 team) to be a pretty miserable acquisition.

 

[Merc1]

But Mercedes has such a bad record when in comes to acquisitions and mergers. I rather see AM with BMW or VAG. Or even Tata, along with Jag and Rover. Come to think of it I wonder why someone doesn't put all those British brands along with Lotus under one umbrella.

Begrudgingly I agree. I just wanna see the AMG 6.2 under the hood of the Vantage.


M

 

[HighestOfHigh]

I rather see AM with BMW

*Throws up* BMW has enough! Let them worry about getting the "i" brand successfully off the ground first.

 

[K-A]

M-B doesn't need a boutique manufacturer like Aston to buy, that would be a disaster for both brands. AM would eventually be ruining their prestige to sell Vans and cars marketed toward spoiled High School teens in order to chase Sales goals, and M-B would have another prestigious brand to have to keep up.

What M-B needs is a boring, appliance-like, mass manufacturing company to buy up, to lower their company MPG average. So they can go back to keeping the most prestigious and cache-full brand intact in the way it was intended: Mercedes-Benz.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

Aston Martin automobiles have left influential people at BMW as well as at Volkswagen AG thoroughly impressed. In a recent interview, VW chief designer Walter di Silva mentioned A-M cars as being one of his favorite brands (from a designers' point-of-view). And Aston Martins' "brand equity" is indeed formidable. Alas, US$ 13m is a rather paltry R&D budget.

A-M will indeed not "die". Perhaps M-B will not be a bedfellow, but given the opportunity (and for a reasonable level of cost), VW AG or BMW would surely very seriously consider some sort of liaison with A-M.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

M-B is cooperating with "appliance manufacturer" Renault.

 

[Nicks]

AM would eventually be ruining their prestige to sell Vans .

Lambo,Bugatti and Porsche also ruining their prestige?

 

[K-A]

Do they sell Vans?