Andy Palmer has been the CEO of Aston Martin since 2014. The time to take over the management of the 1913-founded carmaker could not have been more difficult. 2000 CEO Ulrich Bez has already joined 2013 as a member of the Supervisory Board, and thus the traditional manufacturer was virtually unaffiliated. Once again, the financial bottlenecks that are so typical for Aston Martin, because after the model offensive initially conducted by Bez at the beginning of the millennium, sales of 7.000 units in 2007 dropped to around 4.500 vehicles in 2013. But that was precisely the challenge that the influential automotive executive Palmer sought after 23 years of service at Nissan. And after two years at the helm, a silver lining is slowly emerging on the horizon: fresh money from investors has been found and the development of a modular platform has been completed. First product of this work is the DB11 and as part of the driving event for this coupé, autohub.de was invited to an exclusive conversation in a fireplace room, which Mr. Palmer began with: "We are at the end of the beginning"
We are more than James Bond's company car
Palmer does not beautify the current situation and emphasizes that the products have to be lit on the new platform in order to remain independent. Otherwise the promising partnership with Daimler AG would not pay off either. The Swabians had acquired 2013 five percent of the British sports car manufacturer and in the context of a technical partnership Aston Martin will receive the future Mercedes-AMG 4,0l V8 bi-turbo engine and the current ICE components.
New platform
The CEO of the new aluminum platform shows the possibilities of the launch schedule: In August, production of the DB11 was launched, 2017 comes the "volume model" Vantage, from which the first prototypes were already sighted, then Vanquish and DBS. But not only sports cars can be realized with the modular platform, but also a crossover with all-wheel drive, a "luxurious and exclusive super saloon" under the revived name Lagonda, as well as the first electric Aston Martin based on the next Rapide. Incidentally, this electric car is being developed with LeEco, which is also behind Farady Future stuck.
Increasing sales?
The question then arises with which sales targets Palmer expects: "We want to go back to where we were 2007 in the first step" and adds "with 7.000 units, the plant in Gaydon is also fully utilized. An expansion of this site for sports car production is not planned. For everything that is planned beyond that, a second plant will be built starting at 2017 in the Welsh town of St. Athan, there will be from 2020 the crossover DBX and the luxurious Lagonda sedans. "And the maximum output in this work? "Since Gaydon is the blueprint for St. Athan, 7.000's upper limit will also be in this factory." We think: A sporting goal, but Andy Palmer counters with noticeable pride: "The DB11 already has 2.000 orders. And I would like to supply a few more numbers on the status of our current special series "
For the first time, the Aston boss straightened up in the creaking Club Chair from his relaxed attitude and starts: "The Xnumx units of the Vantage GT100 are sold out, and I assure you, we could choose the number of inquiries customers. But also the 24 units of the Vulcan have found their buyers " (Editor's note: these may then transfer via 2 million euros to AM, a few track days are even inclusive), The hand-torn and limited to 150 units Trackday toy "Vantage GT8" with 200.000 euros you can almost describe it as a bargain. But what is even more important for Palmer: "This Aston Martin is already completely out of stock." With a smile, the 53-year-old then announces that it was only presented at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in May Concept of Vanquish Zagato actually built on the basis of concrete demands: 99 times and guess what? "Sold out. For sure. "
AM RB 001
The biggest hit, however, Palmer served with the information that it presented for a few weeks ago AM RB 001 Already 400 gives specific requests. We're talking about a hypercar that will cost somewhere between two to three million pounds and only build a maximum of 150 times. And Palmer assured me, "I personally take great care that the tongue-twisting name is still changed."
We are not just James Bond
As a listener impress this information quite, but Aston Martin does not live alone from elaborate special series that are handpicked to the market, but there must be a reasonable dealer network behind the targeted growth figures. "That is why we want and need to increase our number of dealers, especially in China." Oh, and not in Europe and the US? "No, we currently see no need for action. It's more important to create a continuous buzz around the brand and the vehicles. "The four-time family man immediately hints at how this might look like:" Aston Martin is like cricket: everyone knows it, but no one knows how to do it except in the United Kingdom it's playing. We want to change that because it seems so charming at first glance: Aston is not just James Bond. We are a brand with a long tradition and many sporting successes. This message should be transmitted. "
Palmer often emphasizes "the love for beauty", Which inspires the entire workforce in the pursuit of this goal. The boss included, because he has set a target very clear: He does not want to be the CEO who can install a four-cylinder in an Aston. "We can also reach global emissions limits with our self-developed V12 without unduly downsizing." We can only thank Andy Palmer for this statement and the exclusive interview, and we hope that his plan will work out so that Aston Martin will last a long time.
