Aston boss: cost of autonomy will force mass car firm mergers

The investment needed to develop connected and autonomous vehicles will likely lead to mass consolidation of car companies globally, according to Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer. However, he also believes that the six globally recognised luxury car makers today - including Aston and with Lagonda set to join in 2022 when it launches an electric SUV - will thrive despite the challenges.

Speaking at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ Connected conference, Palmer said he believes many existing brands will have to form alliances, merge with or sell to rivals in order to survive.

“We’re all developing similar technology costing billions and that’s nonsense,” said Palmer. “I think it is inevitable car companies will come together through mergers and acquisitions. The requirements will be too much for many of the firms involved. The business model of spending $1bn to develop a car and then have to pile it high and sell it cheap - discounting - in order to keep factories turning and maintain economies of scale is broken.”

Today, most analysts put 14 conglomerates - of around 200 car companies globally, selling approaching 100m cars between them this year - at the heart of the global industry: Ford, PSA Group, Tata, Daimler, VW Group, Honda, Toyota, GM, BMW, Nissan, FCA Group, Geely, Renault and Hyundai. However, the rise of Chinese brands that are beginning to take significant sales in their home market - the largest for car sales in the world - is set to disrupt that dynamic.

“Yes, enlightened mega-companies like Toyota can develop technology alone and survive, but I feel many more companies will fall under the wing of such firms to the point that we have just two or three mega-companies dominating, in the way Boeing and Airbus do in the airline industry,” said Palmer.

“Along the way I’m sure we’ll see newcomers, some who will succeed, some who will be bought and some who will fail. But the inevitability is that there will be mergers and acquisitions.”

Mercedes-Benz and BMW are already collaborating on autonomous technology, while firms such as the VW Group and Toyota are seeking partners to share their electrified technology with. Palmer concedes that Aston Martin and Lagonda would have to forge partnerships to supplement its own advances in the new technologies, but added that the firm's small size, relative agility and ultra-luxury status offered a bright future.

"The six luxury car makers - us, Ferrari, Bentley et al - represent just 3% of global car brands and 0.06% of all global sales, but being globally recognised as a luxury brand is an accolade that is hard to obtain and even harder to retain," said Palmer. "If something becomes easy to access or create it becomes a commodity, and for mainstream car makers that is a very real risk, but for car companies that don't have to sell one more car to help a parent firm's bottom line, there are opportunities. Independent, luxury car makers like us can thrive by fighting against commoditisation and focusing on adding to our mythology.