The boss of Aston Martin, Ulrich Bez, is expected to step down and take up a more ambassadorial role with the firm at the end of this year.
Bez, who will turn 70 in November, joined Aston as chief executive officer and chairman in July 2000, and stayed on following its sale to a Kuwaiti consortium led by David Richards in 2007.
He is best known for pushing the DB7 to success, overseeing Aston’s move from Newport Pagnell to Gaydon, where it built up a world-class manufacturing facility, and spearheading the launch of the modern range of Aston Martins.
An Aston spokesman refused to comment on the rumour, but Autocar understands that a new boss will be put in place this summer, giving him or her time to work with Bez during a transition period.
Aston’s chief platform manager, Chris Porritt, best known for his development role with the Aston One-77, is also believed to have left the firm to take up a leading role with Tesla.
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DB7?
Ulrich may have achieved much but the DB7 was well and truly breaking AM's sales records when AM was run by Bob Dover, well before Ulrich's arrival.
They should make a model
They should make a model after him the aston martin UB7. I heard Dave Richards is actually tasked with bringing rich tea's to the quartley board meeting.
Sales Figures
Under the watch and guidance of Dr Bez, UK sales of AM's rose from a few hundred in 2000 to about 2300 in 2007, but then have been declining steadily, to about 900 last year. "Scrap" (above) has certainly listed some possible causative factors. Ultimately, the "Gentleman's Car" attraction could not be sustained in the face of poor modernization and aggressive competition from others (Mercedes S-Class?; BMW 7-series?; Bentley?). Please see link:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1236580
We can thank Dr Bez for his work in revitalizing the brand, but in my view, it is time to move on with younger management at the top.
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