Aston Martin Wonders If An IPO Would Meet With The Same Success Thart Ferrari Had

Uhhhh...no.

Aston, just call big brother Benz, allow them to take the reigns a bit as they've already done with your engines and some switchgear, give you an SUV or 2 to pay some bills, nurse you back to relevance and then go forth and prosper

Although Aston has a significant pedigree I don't see how it would resemble Ferrari in an IPO. They're just too different but to be acquired and grown like VW has done w/Bentley... its possible but again I don't see it. MB doesn't need AM, that would be a waste of money... not sure who would be a suitor?? Matt?

I myself always thought it was too bad they were not scooped up by Tata and made part of Jaguar Land Rover. JLAM. Platform, engines, electronics, R+D etc. It would have been a good fit and very British. Maybe it will still happen in the future.

Aston is too small for any of the main car companies to care about or want especially as we appear to be heading for a downturn. Aston's only hope is for a Magna to buy them if Frank still has the itch to jump into the car game but I doubt it after the whole Chrysler-Cerebus shenanigan.

More than likely a Gheely or some other obscure Asian wannabe or gazillionaire will buy them for brand recognition and then start to transition parts and component assemblies to the PRC to reduce costs (and possibly improve quality control). If not, Aston's days may be numbered as development and safety costs skyrocket and the market retracts or their product line becomes obsolete.

I hope this isn't the case as I do quite enjoy the eye candy Austin puts out but I sure wouldn't want to own one with all the depreciation and maintenance costs involved.

When are you getting a proofreader?

"Aston Martin Wonders If An IPO Would Meet With The Same Success Thart Ferrari Had"

Keep in mind Aston has current deep pocketed private equity owners. It would be them and them alone that would decide if an IPO is in Aston's future. They are not presently looking for a buyer. The new relationship with Mercedes is great and will really help the brand going forward. With forced induction across the line I would have rather seen a 4.0 V8 in the DB11 and a 3.0L V6 in the Vantage replacement. V12 engines are not part of the heritage of the historical Aston brand (really) nor part of the future of the automotive space. The new 720S does just fine on 4 litres of displacement too. So can Aston Martin.

No

Aston should be able to make it without public funding. With the agreement(s) they made with MB for components, they should be able to operate at a budget that sustains their operation.

Seeking public money would only be justifiable if they were planning to expand into different market segments, but those segments are already very competitive.

Would Aston flourish in an environment where it has to show rising profits quarter after quarter or be punished by the stock market...I don't think so! It would forever change the company's culture, management style, relationship with employees, dealers and customers not for the better. Ferrari is a special case with an unusual heritage, culture and customer base. Aston is different and more vulnerable. Just my opinion.