ˆ Aston Martin to move further upmarket?

tags : aston martin , aston martin db9 , aston martin lagonda , aston martin rapide , aston martin v8 vantage , astonmartin , astonmartindb9 , astonmartinlagonda , astonmartinrapide , astonmartinv8vantage , coupes , db9 , future plans , future product , futureplans , futureproduct , lagonda , rapide , sports cars , sportscars , supercars , v8 vantage , v8vantage , vantage

Such is the logic of luxury economics: charge tens of thousands of dollars more for the same product, sell fewer of them and boost the balance sheet and your brand's long-term viability. That is what Aston Martin's considering for the next phase of its business plan, which runs from roughly 2011 to 2019 and will see the launch of DB9 and Vantage successors, the Rapide, and the renewed Lagonda brand. The Vantage and DB9 are big sellers for Aston, but the company might be unsure of how to sustain the momentum. One option is to move the price of the $113,000 Vantage closer to the $171,000 DB9, and move that latter car closer to the $265,000 DBS, sell fewer of them but make more money. The DB9 does strike us as a (relative) bargain – it's cheaper than a Bentley GT -- but pricing the Vantage closer to the DB9 would seem to wreck its business case as a 911 fighter. Another option could be to replace the Vantage or DB9 with a mid-engined sports car, which could be drool-worthy and well worth the price bump... but perhaps un-Aston-like. AutoWeek also appears to report that the One-77 isn't sold out, writing "Although Aston has said that it would make a maximum of 77 cars, insiders privately say the market is closer to 25." We don't know how that could be, unless a bunch of the 100 people who applied to buy the car were just kidding...

posted : 10/22/2008 @10:43:19 PM

ˆ Maserati could add a small sedan, wagon is a no-go

tags : alfa romeo , alfaromeo , coupes , future , future plans , future product , futureplans , futureproduct , gran turismo , gran turismo s , granturismo , granturismos , maserati , quattroporte , quattroporte s , quattroportes , sedans , small maserati , smallmaserati

Maserati is on a bit of a tear, and if things keep going its way, the Trident will turn that into a full-on ripper. The Gran Turismo S and Quattroporte S have secured the right kind of buzz, a Gran Turismo convertible – said to feature a cloth top, not a folding steel unit – is on the way, and there's always that Gran Turismo MC Corse Concept to hope for. If additional models get to wear the badge, they will come via Alfa. Fiat underlings Maser and Alfa have pledged to share technologies, so if Alfa picks up a RWD platform from someone else, that's an opportunity for Maserati to create a small sedan and coupe to fit underneath the GT and the Quattroporte. What Maserati will definitely not be creating, however, is a wagon: the Kuban GT has been taken off the menu. You'll hear no complaints from us about that, for while there can't be too many Maseratis, there can certainly be the wrong kind of Maserati.

posted : 10/13/2008 @10:31:11 PM

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