Daimler lining up Aston deal?

Early talks could lead to Aston Martin using Mercedes engines and electronics

Daimler has revealed it is in early talks about a partnership with Aston Martin. They were sparked after Italian-based investment group Investindustrial took a 37.5 per cent stake in the British brand in late 2012, worth £150 million.

Although little is known about the Daimler-Aston partnership, it has been hinted that it will involve co-developing engines and electrical components.

Daimler’s Silke Walters is reported to have said: “While both sides know and respect each other very much, no decisions have been made.”

However, it is believed that Daimler is keen to work with Investindustrial again as both collaborated in a successful marketing deal that linked AMG and motorcycle maker Ducati, then owned by Investindustrial.

Investindustrial bought 29.9 per cent of Ducati in 2006, before taking full control in 2008. The group grew Ducati’s share of the performance bike market from 4.1 per cent in 2006 to 10.6 per cent in 2011, and made Ducati the most profitable firm in its class.

The investment group then sold Ducati to Audi in April 2012, for three times what it paid for it.

Key to the success of Ducati is Investindustrial’s focus on globalising production and sales, which is something that Aston Martin needs to improve. Currently, a relatively small 15 per cent of the brand’s sales are in the expanding Asian market.

However, in order to expand globally, Aston Martin needs to collaborate with a mainstream carmaker in order to reduce development costs and car prices. This will allow it to compete with Porsche and Bentley, which have the might of the VW Group’s purchasing power behind them, and Ferrari and Maserati, which are part of Fiat.

In addition to Mercedes and Investindustrial’s past venture, Mercedes and Aston have had some involvement before. The ill-fated Lagonda SUV concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009 was built using the underpinnings from the large GL-Class.

In addition, Aston was believed to be going to build the replacement for the Maybach, before Mercedes canned the brand entirely.

Cars

Wednesday, 22 May 2013