Around World War II, he was congenial to his childhood friend david brown, who started the classic DB series with his initials. In 1970s, North American businessmen Peter Prague and George Minton were inherited, and V8 was introduced to meet the market demand. Vantage models. 199 1 year, he devoted himself to the legendary family Ford and started the sports car era with V 12 engine. In 2007, we joined hands with Prodrive, a racing manufacturer, and started to enter the China market. In 20 13, we married Daimler Group, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz.

Recently, however, CEO Andy Palmer revealed that aston martin sold 5,865,438+09 cars in 2065,438+09, which was 7% lower than that in 2065,438+08. He said that "2065,438+09 was a very disappointing year". The reason why the noble princess is so down and out is because the product line is narrow and the update is slow. Its mainstream model DB series has always been equipped with Mercedes-Benz V8 engine. The V 12, which has been used for 20 years, was produced when Ford joined the company, and many accessories were used together with Mondeo V6 engine. In addition, in order to maintain the status of luxury goods, Aston with the same engine is more expensive than Mercedes-Benz, which leads to the inability to support sales, resulting in the inability to make profits, and finally falls into a vicious circle of unable to update products.

Aston Martin naturally realized this. In order to keep up with the SUV trend of competing products such as Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, and realize the purpose of making money by quantity, DBX models have already entered the development process. However, the losses in recent years have led to the lack of development funds. As key models, DBX and Aston Martin 20 19 began to look for investment to support cash flow.

The two most competitive choices are China Geely and Canadian tycoon Straahl. Geely all the way to buy buy started with the acquisition of 9.97% shares of London taxi manufacturer Manganese Copper Holdings/KLOC-0 in 2006. 20 10 bought a Ford Volvo. In 20 13 years, it obtained 100% control over manganese and copper. In 20 17, it acquired 49.9% shares of Proton Malaysia and 5 1% shares of Lotus England. In 20 18, it acquired 9.69% shares of Daimler Group and became an important shareholder.

Geely bought it in buy buy because it made up for its shortcomings by acquiring brands and technologies that integrated sports cars and luxury cars. Geely, which is rumored to be interested in Alfa Romeo and Maserati, also pays attention to Aston Martin through the parts of British Lotus. However, Geely's vision is not limited to all-round automobile manufacturers, but to become a comprehensive mobile service provider. From taxis running all over the streets in London, England, to the booming Cao Cao car in China, and even the acquisition of Terrafugia, a flying car company, on 20 17, it can be seen that Geely has a clear strategic plan.

In contrast, Straahl, a Canadian rich man worth more than $2 billion, is a popular figure in the fashion circle, Pierre Cardin? Karting), Ralph Lauren (Ralph? Lauren), tommy hilfiger (Tommy? Hilfe), Michael Goldstein (Michael? Kors), jewelry brand Asprey? And then what? Gerald was invested and established by him. He is also famous for collecting cars, especially including all kinds of Ferrari classic models with the most collectible value in the world.

Straahl's more famous story is that he bought his son who loves racing all the way to the F 1 stadium. Even buy a racing car directly? While other excellent racers are still fighting for a driver's seat for the F 1 team at Point, Straahl's son can curse the rotten cars in the team communication, which makes the team a super rich second generation and even a "father force".

One is a down-to-earth and accomplished Phoenix man Geely, and the other is a tycoon who dominates the forefront of fashion. What do you choose? Aston martin finally announced on June 365438+1October 3 1 that it had fallen into the hands of Straahl. This decision is not difficult to understand. As a brand dedicated to luxury celebrities, it naturally values Strahl's experience and contacts in the fashion world and recognizes his understanding of collecting cars. And Aston Martin has always maintained a good sponsorship relationship with Red Bull F 1 Team, and promoted brand exposure and image through various events. Straahl also announced that the F 1 team will be renamed Aston Martin on 202 1, which can be said to be beneficial to it.

On the other hand, Geely's appeal is to expect Aston Martin to accelerate its development in the electric field and launch luxury electric cars and electric sports cars as soon as possible. This investment also enabled the domestic battery giant Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. to clarify its intention. From the following interview with Aston CEO Palmer, we can see the British thinking: "The company will focus on V6 hybrid engine in the short term, especially the development of the current electric vehicle market will take some time. ? You must also remember that before 2025, none of our competitors will sell electric cars except Porsche. Therefore, our timetable is very similar to theirs, and we are still at the forefront of the luxury goods market. "

More obviously, Aston Martin officially postponed all electric vehicle plans and suspended its first electric vehicle Rapide indefinitely after obtaining Strahl's new investment. E. The launch of its all-electric Lagonda sub-brand was also postponed from 2022 to 2025.

Aston Martin parted ways because of its different strategy from Geely, but what is the purpose of Straahl's acquisition? In fact, Aston and Daimler mentioned above are partners. By controlling Aston Martin, Straahl can get a corresponding opportunity to buy Mercedes-Benz. It is reported that this German automobile manufacturer will give up the F 1 movement and become an engine supplier by the end of 2020, so as to develop in an all-round way, including formula? The field of electric vehicles expressed by electric equations. Straahl and toto wolf, the current owner of Mercedes motorsport, plan to acquire ownership at that time.

It seems that the story of money worship in the upper class is actually the naked commercial essence of mutual utilization. As an independent brand developed from scratch, it supports Geely's strategy of realizing the future electric travel plan. After all, you see that Mercedes-Benz, an automobile giant, is eager to reduce the investment in traditional internal combustion engines and speed up the layout of the electrification market. Let those luxurious and fashionable fashionistas feel good about themselves, and overtaking in the corner of the sea of stars is the right way!

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.