Aston Martin has been looking for potent bidders to help it out in its rough times. Investindustrial won the bid and bought a 37.5% shares in Aston Martin for a whopping $ 185 million. Regarding this a memorandum of understanding has been signed by Investindustrial and Aston Martin’s present investor, Investment Dar. This deal definitely means that future Aston Martin vehicles will get its equipments from Mercedes AMG.
How did Mercedes AMG get into the picture you ask? Well Investindustrial was the owner of Ducati until last year. Ducati has strong ties with Mercedes Benz. An insider at AMG has revealed regarding their alliance with Investindustrial that “We know these guys. They were behind Ducati and we had a very closely knit marketing deal with them. They rang and asked if they won the bid for Aston would we be interested in being a technology partner.” It is also said that it is this alliance with MB that has made it possible for Investindustrial to win this bid. Mahindra and Mahindra was also among the bidders.
Regarding this investment made by Investindustrial, David Richards, Chairman of Aston Martin said “I am delighted that Investindustrial has decided to become a major investor in Aston Martin. With the support of Investment Dar, we have made substantial progress over the past five years in laying the foundations for success as one of the world’s leading luxury sports car manufacturers. Investindustrial’s new investment reflects and sustains the unique position of Aston Martin within the industry. With this partnership and the continued commitment of Investment Dar, we look forward to working with our shareholders as we realize our vision and exciting future plans.”
Senior principal at Investindustrial, Andrea Bonomi said that “We are looking forward to
working with the management and Investment Dar to achieve a similar transformation and rejuvenation that we achieved with Ducati, by expanding the model range and strengthening the dealership network, throughout the world.”
The company has announced its “technical partnership” with Mercedes AMG and it will give Aston a chance to use AMG powertrains and various electronic equipments. AMG might develop a V8 engine for Aston. It is also expected that Mercedes AMG will lend a V12 engine to Aston to replace the obsolete Ford engine in Vanquish. Regarding this an AMG official has said that “There is significant scope. It would be more than just drivelines. If you look at Aston Martin products today, it is clear that they need not only new drivelines with increased performance and improved emission capability but also electronic architectures as well.”
When on one hand Aston Martin will get all the modern equipments and powertrains from AMG, Mercedes also has some gained some profit. As per the agreement signed between the 2 firms, Mercedes will get to own a total of 5% shares in Aston Martin (non-voting). This will make MB AMG another share holder with Investindustrial and Investment DAR.
Ian Minards, Aston Martin development boss said that “Aston Martin sources cutting-edge technology from key suppliers around the globe and the opportunity to include content from Mercedes-AMG GmbH in our next-generation sports cars is, clearly, good news. Working with Mercedes-AMG in this way while, of course, remaining independent and preserving the unique character and style of Aston Martin that has been the mainstay of the company throughout its 100-year history, points to a very bright future for the company as it starts its second century in business.”
Ola Kallenius, AMG boss said that “We are proud to work with Aston Martin and provide them with powertrain and electric/electronic components for their forthcoming sports cars. This is proof of AMG’s technological and performance expertise and a real win-win situation for both sides.”