A 50 per cent stake in Aston Martin could be sold before the end of the month, according to reports.
The Financial Times is reporting that Aston Martin's Kuwait owners, Investment Dar, has had bids tabled for half the company from Indian car maker Mahindra & Mahindra and European buyout group Invest Industrial.
Mahindra & Mahindra are said to have made the higher bid, but Invest Industrial are reported to be offering a technical partnership with Mercedes as part of the deal.
Financial Times insiders report that the proposed technical partnership is seen as a "trump card" by Investment Dar.
Aston Martin boss Dr Ulrich Bez recently told Autocar that the company was not for sale, but conceeded the potential need for a technical partner.
Investment Dar led a consortium that bought Aston Martin for £493m in 2007.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Mike, try to get
Mike, try to get this.
McLaren is in the midst of a ambitious drive to establish a luxury car brand. This will absorb all they have to invest in money AND manpower. Trying your idea will only result in two mediocre car brands, as McLaren is to small to dedicate full effort and investment in both. This is pure fantasy on your part.
The only players big enough to carry AM are to be found in USA, Japan and Germany.
The Americans gave AM the boot, the Lexus LFA, clad in a AM body a dream come trough. But in todays car market, i have a feeling that only a German company will be willing to take the risk to buy the company as well as making the much larger investment in development.
Lets face it, AM's technology is today outdated and a new owner will have to start from scratch.
McLaren, Anyone?
Aston have been over-marketed for years (Emotional Control Unit? Power Beauty Soul? - makes you gag).
AMG engines in an Aston might sound like a good idea but IMO it would be another mistake by a management team that just don't seem to "get" the understated, very British cool that the public associate with the marque. A german engine doesn't send the right message, but with Dr Bez in charge we may end up with just that!
I'd like to see a tie-up with a Brisitsh Company. I'm not sure reviving the JLR / Aston tie-up is a good idea, but how about that (British) McLaren V8 under the bonnet of an Aston? OK they don't have a V12 but there may be a business case for one with Aston on board...
Mike8691 wrote: Aston have
I agree with the tacky marketing of the brand it should come with an optional sick bucket.
Bez has been at the helm for 12 years and to now say that its not sending the right British message doesn't really make a great deal of sense. Aston might be a bit cynical at times, but it's still an understated, handsome car. Aston's aren't cool and that's a seperate debate anyway.
Mclaren would be an odd tie up and really the products overlap and I don't see in anyway where Mclaren would see a return in investment even over the medium term. The whole mclaren brand is appealing to geeky technical nerds. I think the new button would be "Precision, Boring, Soulless". Still with mercedes and mclaren still sharing aspects of their businesses you still might get the mercedes touch.
Mahindra & Mahindra should take over!
Mahindra & Mahindra have superior car industry R&D and technical know to Mercedes and JLR and what's more they are offering the most money.
One top of all that, the can quickly set up online/telephone customer service department in India to deal with any customer issues. A win-win take over all round.
You mean this Mahindra company
http://www.mahindra.com/What-We-Do/Automotive
Hardly cutting edge and appears to include Ssangyong..............
This Mahindra or that Mahindra
Appreciate the link, but my comment wasn't entirely serious.