No, certainly not junk. But certainly below the standards that Jaguar should be/and is known for now. It was Ford's attempt to drive Jaguar into producing greater volume, and less expensive cars. I also agree that quite a bit was learned from all that.

Ford certainly did provide a ton of capital, upgrade to production systems, and other good things.

I would not go so far as to say that neither AM nor Jag would *not* exist were it not for Ford, but they certainly did make it possible for AM and Jag to experience the resurgence of success both have had and are having.

AM still needs to up its game however.

 

Regarding de-valuing the marque, IMO the whole Vantage line, except for the V12 version, devalues the marque. The 'baby' Aston should have been the V12 Vantage from the get go, and they should have stopped there. Aston should not be in the sub $200K market at all.

 

AML production of sub$200k models is online with their core values and the the +$200k models benefit substantially from it. The effect on the "prestige" of the mark is subjective. A run out like this can mean a couple things but usually signifies a new model release is close. The new model will likely be at a lower price point if what is taking place now is "normal". Respecting current used values and stock; AML had to do something real nice for dealer for them not to be ruffled. I would suspect current inventory will quietly drop to the GT levels.

 

Given what and how we are all talking about this, it's very clear to me that this move has already hurt the marque (at least a bit).

Here's the thing. Ferrari sells loads of cars and NOT by lowering the price. They up the desirables. Every time. That, is what an exotic marque does.

Did Lambo slash the price of the Gallardo to $110k just before the Hurican was annonced?

I understand that they needed to do something to move more product. I just don't accept that that something should have been price slashing.

I guess I always thought Aston aspired to stand with the exotics, not Porsche.

Aston should be trying to get Bentley GT owners to trade in for DB9s, Gallardo owners to trade into V12V-Ss, Ferrari California owners into Vanquish and DBs. Instead they seem to be chasing mass production markets. Why? The other marques I've cited all seem to manage to sell plenty of product north of $150k. So coping out on price seems like just that.

 

Aston doesn't have the luxury of rich parents like Lamborghini does.

Also, lets not forget that the Dr. was at the helm. He brought Porsche down a notch to the level of Audi and Volkswagen with the Cayenne and then brought Aston down to the level of where Porsche used to be with the Vantage. Remember, the Vantage was introduced as a 911 competitor.

 

One thing is for sure. It is great to see such impassioned debate even where there might be disagreement. Shows that there is a high level of engagement & loyalty for the brand.

 

Come on, would you prefer that Aston was still manufacturing the DB7 platform? Boars hair lined shift gates in all...

The Vantage brought Aston back to its roots which is in motorsport. Over the past decade the vantage has really been the only competitor for the 911 in many global motorsports venues. The vantage has we established the tie between Aston's heritage and racing...which was needed.

 

Not suggesting that the old way was better, only that this move hurts the brand.

Ferrari seems to do very well with their motorsport bona fides without dropping their prices.

Must I spell out the ugly truth? A large part of Aston Martin's appeal is the story the car tells (branding). It is a story of exclusivity, rarity and refinement of taste in quality and performance and part of all of that is the price (perceived or real). The sub $100k price undermines that story by saying that an Aston Martin isn't any more special or out of reach than any number of lesser brands (Porsche, Jag, Nissan's GTR, AMG). This is a big deal. It may seem petty or superficial, and it may be so, but it still matters.

What people actually pay for a Vantage isn't the issue. The listed base price is what the market knows and responds to. Breaking that $100k limit is a very significant, emotional message and I think it's the wrong one for the brand.

 

Hardly accurate summary of Aston racing. It was the DBR9 that returned Aston to its racing 'roots' beginning in 2005, and it was the DBR9 that reclaimed victory at LeMans over the Corvette C6R in 2007 and repeating in 2008, not a Vantage. From a success point of view, the DBR9 has been the better race car during its 4/5 year career as a factory machine.

 

Honest question: What was the least expensive car Aston Martin produced prior to the current V8 Vantage and how much did it cost in today's dollars?

The current V8V is produced in far greater numbers than just about anything else Aston has ever made. Doesn't that in itself represent a dilution of the brand? If the V8V is the lowest-priced Aston to date, doesn't that devalue the brand as well?

Agreed!

 

Not discounting the accomplishments of the DB9R. That was a heavily invested factory led effort. The vantage platform was created with racing in mind and at the time of its release, a very sophisticated chassis. Aston has devoted a program to doing nothing but producing vantage race cars that are sold to independent teams. They are competitive and compete with the likes of many other race car platforms similar to the Porsche 911 RSR/Cup Car program.

 

Quantity doesn't devalue the brand all by itself (see also Ferrari sales volume). And the current brand identity is a new thing. The brand's exclusivity (price wise) prior to the DB7 is largely irrelvant beyon the fact that its olde and English and 007 seems to like them.

 

I call BS on this. It was not created for racing and neither is/was the chassis any more sophisticated than the DB9, which came first.

 

That would be the DB7 I6. MSRP was about $125K for 1997 coupe, approx $185K today.

2002 DB7 Vantage Volante: sticker at $155K (no options), $170K fully equipped: 2014$ = $204K to $223K

 

Depreciation may be a non-issue if AM cannot sell the Vantage here let alone the GT.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/18/a...n-db9-vantage/

Perhaps our cars will start appreciating!