Ssang Yongg

 

Volkswagen

 

Or even Porsche who have spent a bit of cash recently ...

 

Korea's not as mad as it sounds I reckon. The US firms are fecked, Ford clearly included, and it's not the sort of move Japanese firms have tended to make. Can't see Toyota or Honda doing that anyway.

My bets would be:

Hyundai
A German - Porsche, BMW or possibly VAG.
or
Nissan/PSA in a "Tevez to Hammers" style shocker.

 

Could this be ford selling off to combat there huge financial debts?

Maybe Saab or Land rover are next.. or it could be aston martin arent making the money that ford expected?

 

No, but it would give them the brand image they've always struggled with in Europe.

 

imagine an aston with build quailty and reliability of a audi, now that would be a class car

 

After my VAG group experiences, I'd rather have an Aston with the quality and reliability of a Toyota...

 

Ford need to sell Aston and DUMP Jaguar
The Jaguar brand is just a dead dog IMO

 

what about JCB buying it-rumour has it they are thinking of buying jaguar.

 

**** that lexus are so fookin boring and aston martins arent the most exciting things to drive to begin with (i blame the yanks). I think VAG dont really need jaguar although they could slot them inbetween lamborghini and bentley, but I think BMW will snap them up.

So now thats jaguar aston martin and volvo all rumoured to be up for sale. Damn ford sucks. Americans just need to live up to the fact that they cant build cars, and that the brainwash style marketing no longer works

 

I think Toyota & Honda have chosen a different route with Lexus/Acura branding. They seem to think, reasonably enough, that they can do it better themselves

The whole Ford luxury brand group has never really worked. Jag's cost them billions and I can't see AML as a big money spinner. I think Volvo has done ok though... not a money pit anyway.

 

more of a deat cat I would say

 

What about Fiat? they own alot of top marque car companies don't they, another one wouldn't hurt!

 

Didn't Aston Martin make it's first profit EVER this year?
Aston Martin now has a highly desirable cars that people are buying in higher numbers. If I was Ford, I'd dump Volvo and Jaguar before getting rid of Aston Martin. The only one making money !!

If it was sold, then I'd hope it went to either VAG or BMW. VAG have Bentley and Lamborghini, while BMW have Rolls Royce. I think BMW would be able to slot Aston Martin in it's line up better than VAG. MHO of course.

 

I dont think VAG will try and buy these guys do the VW just been starting to make a bigger profit again in the last couple years after their turn around plan. Porsche and BMW coule be fore runners.

 

Sports car or bling? Aston Martin debate starts


Fri Sep 1, 2006 1:47 PM BST136

By Michael Shields, European Auto Correspondent

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Does the fact that James Bond drove one with tyre-shredding hubcap blades, machine guns and an ejector seat make the Aston Martin car the ultimate luxury accessory?

Or is it the British brand's racing heritage and high performance credentials that make it an iconic sports car?

That is the question potential buyers will have to address as struggling U.S. carmaker Ford Motor Co puts Aston Martin on the auction block.

"Anything is possible," said Stephen Cheetham, car sector analyst at Sanford Bernstein.

"If anybody decides they want it, the prices start to get extremely silly. Rationally, it is worth less than $1 billion (530 million pounds) and quite a lot less than $1 billion. Irrationally, it may be worth as much as $2 billion," he added.

"It is one of those assets where you might be surprised where the interest comes from," said one investment banker who follows the auto sector closely.

He called Aston Martin an unusual and rare asset that combines elements of luxury and engineering. He thought a buyer intent on expanding the brand could pay around $1 billion for it.

French luxury goods firm LVMH denied suggestions that it or Swiss rival Richemont could be interested in buying Aston Martin, which Ford said on Thursday it may sell to raise funds for other businesses.

While fashionable LVMH head Bernard Arnault may cut a dashing, James Bond-like figure, his spokesman said a report in industry publication CAR online he was eyeing Aston martin was "wrong". Richemont had no comment.

WHO'S NEXT?

Ford's portfolio of European-based luxury car brands has fallen well short of its optimistic projections. Its PAG unit, which includes Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin, lost $162 million in the second quarter before one-off items.

As it loses U.S. market share and high fuel prices undercut sales of its high-margin sport utility vehicles and trucks, Ford is still weighing what to do with the other European brands.

Cheetham said he thought German sports car maker Porsche would be an ideal buyer for Aston Martin, a brand positioned above the classic Porsche 911 model line.

"Porsche have a bit of a conundrum. With all the growth they are planning they are still moving down market really and they will be doing well over 100,000 units," he reasoned.

"Aston Martin, with its 4,500 units (in 2005 sales), is much more exclusive, it's much more premium than Porsche. The two brands stand for quite different things, but Porsche -- unlike LVMH or Richemont -- actually understands engineering."

A Porsche spokesman said buying Aston Martin "is not an option" for the carmaker with the automotive world's fattest profit margins.

DaimlerChrysler, whose premium division includes the elegant Mercedes-Benz and ultra-luxury Maybach limousine brands, also said it was not interested in Aston Martin.

British machinery group JCB, which said last week it was interested in Jaguar, ruled out buying Aston Martin.

JPMorgan Chase private equity arm One Equity Partners -- where former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser is a partner -- is also interested in some of Ford's European brands.

In any event, selling Aston Martin is seen as a small but interesting deal for a sector struggling with slack demand and chronic overcapacity that stokes margin-eroding price wars.

"This little transaction doesn't really define an industry, while Renault could," the investment banker said.

He was referring to talks that could add General Motors to the carmaking alliance between France's Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Co.

Ford is waiting in the wings to meet Renault/Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn if the GM talks break down.

Should Ghosn link up with a big U.S. carmaker, "it will make everyone think about what it means for them", the banker said.

Source: Reuters