Aston Martin (Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.) which is one of the only cars still assembled by hand and also features the name of the final technician who worked on it for every car, so you know exactly who the tightened the final screw and Ok’ed the car for the customer. It is also one of the only ultra-luxury cars that isn’t owned by a larger manufacturer as compared to Volkswagen’s Porsche and Bentley lines. Each car requires about 200 hours of labor. Because of this non-usage of machines, Aston Martin can price their cars at around a 40% discount as compared to their counterparts said Hanno Kirner the company CFO stated.
According to Bloomberg and Daimler Mercedes-Benz representatives who Aston Martin teamed up with to provide engines for their upcoming editions. “The brand is very fascinating” and cooperation with Aston Martin is “developing well,” Daimler’s Weber said. The car maker plans to stick to its heritage of building refined sports cars like the DB9 and doesn’t plan to rush after up-market competitors, including Maserati or Volkswagen’s Bentley, in developing an SUV. “We are quite happy with our core portfolio” including the four-door Rapide, said Kirner. “One messes with icons at one’s peril.”
This strategy can limit the demand for unique super cars that are a little different generation to generation, unlike Aston Martin who pretty much keep the same look year on end. “There’s plenty of growth available,” said Kirner. And if there’s interest in an SUV down the road, then “the Daimler cooperation gives us options, but there’s no decision” on building a crossover.
So this means that eventually, like all other ultra-luxury car makers are currently trending towards, there will be an Aston Martin SUV in production and on the roads. It’s the same old phrase whenever someone completely denies something but says that they are leaving their options open. It’s another way of saying, “It’s not happening right now per say, but it will soon.” Eventually you have to either set the new trend, follow the trend or get left behind by the trend, and getting left behind is never a good option.
