You don't need to buy into a company to start a technical cooperation, do you? When Mercedes-Benz announced its partnership with famed British sports-car maker Aston Martin last year, it was all about V-8 engines, the electrical architecture, and other ingredients. But at the same time, Daimler got its foot in the door with a "silent" five percent share in the company.
Daimler may have been silent, but the rumor mill has been spinning. The latest is a piece by Autocar magazine in the U.K., which hints that a full takeover is possible. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche "did not rule out the possibility that his company . . . might acquire the U.K. firm," the story says. According to the report, Zetsche also spilled the beans on Aston Martin's CEO search, revealing that the company was brushed off by two executives but a third is supposedly "in prospect."
A full takeover would add a foreign crown jewel to Daimler's lineup; the brand image of Aston Martin is virtually unsurpassed and has allowed the company to live off variations of a single stylistic theme for more than a decade. Aston Martin's exotic offerings would pick up above the upcoming AMG GT coupe, which is going to be more accessibly priced than was the gullwinged SLS AMG coupe and its roadster variant.
- Instrumented Test: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish vs. The Hocking Hills
- First Drive: 2015 Aston Martin V-12 Vantage S
- Instrumented Test: 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
We will maintain a wait and see attitude. Aston Martin needs technology and cash, but it's not the first company in which Daimler has acquired a share. Of those automakers that fit that description, don't expect to see a takeover of Tesla or BYD anytime soon—even if Dieter Zetsche doesn't explicitly rule them out.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment