Moers is out, ex-Ferrari capo is in
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Auto journalists are amusing. For example, from that article, referring to Moers: "He had big shoes to fill, as Palmer was the architect of modern Aston Martin, developing the brand from an also-ran former Ford cast off to a real player in the segment".
Go ahead and cast aspersions on the Bez-era cars as Ford rejects, then. I, on the other hand, will let my eyes (and the sales figures) judge which cars were the "real players".
Go ahead and cast aspersions on the Bez-era cars as Ford rejects, then. I, on the other hand, will let my eyes (and the sales figures) judge which cars were the "real players".
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I guess we never know what is truly going on behind the scenes vs what is said in public...Stroll was doing most AM press, was really the face of AM and usually the CEO gets the most limelight...maybe that was a sign or just Stroll's ego...
Anyway, what does this mean for AM is the biggest question... Do we still get new GT cars in 2023? What is the new 2025 plan? Will Merc sell its 20% stake? Will AM survive with $1B in debt if merc bolts? We thought AM had a stable direction (although maybe not the best with merc)...but who knows at this point...
That said...Given the 2 choices, I would rather see a Ferrari Martin than an Aston Merc
Anyway, what does this mean for AM is the biggest question... Do we still get new GT cars in 2023? What is the new 2025 plan? Will Merc sell its 20% stake? Will AM survive with $1B in debt if merc bolts? We thought AM had a stable direction (although maybe not the best with merc)...but who knows at this point...
That said...Given the 2 choices, I would rather see a Ferrari Martin than an Aston Merc
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Geely is good with letting the company do their own thing. Look at Volvo and Lotus; both going for and being funded to be their best version of themselves.
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100%
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^^^ This.
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Another plus of Geely ownership is that most AML franchises (at least in the States) are also Lotus franchises. Lotus has a new mandate on how their showrooms should look. Dealerships have to contend with complying to this mandate.
If AML and Lotus were under one umbrella could help franchise owners navigate through this. AML and Lotus are complimentary brands IMO. They fit different needs for the same buyer, often a buyer whose owned both or owns both marques. Both marques that are "hard to get out of your head" once you driven them.
If AML and Lotus were under one umbrella could help franchise owners navigate through this. AML and Lotus are complimentary brands IMO. They fit different needs for the same buyer, often a buyer whose owned both or owns both marques. Both marques that are "hard to get out of your head" once you driven them.
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Another plus of Geely ownership is that most AML franchises (at least in the States) are also Lotus franchises. Lotus has a new mandate on how their showrooms should look. Dealerships have to contend with complying to this mandate.
If AML and Lotus were under one umbrella could help franchise owners navigate through this. AML and Lotus are complimentary brands IMO. They fit different needs for the same buyer, often a buyer whose owned both or owns both marques. Both marques that are "hard to get out of your head" once you driven them.
If AML and Lotus were under one umbrella could help franchise owners navigate through this. AML and Lotus are complimentary brands IMO. They fit different needs for the same buyer, often a buyer whose owned both or owns both marques. Both marques that are "hard to get out of your head" once you driven them.
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I'm curious if this move has more to do with 'lifestyle branding' than it does with making and selling the cars. Ferrari make an awful lot of their money from merchandise and lifestyle marketing, probably more than the cars, globally. I've noticed that Aston has leaned into that some over the past few years, but maybe this is a re-alignment to pad the bottom line with clothing, accessories, and similar the way Ferrari does.
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I'm curious if this move has more to do with 'lifestyle branding' than it does with making and selling the cars. Ferrari make an awful lot of their money from merchandise and lifestyle marketing, probably more than the cars, globally. I've noticed that Aston has leaned into that some over the past few years, but maybe this is a re-alignment to pad the bottom line with clothing, accessories, and similar the way Ferrari does.
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Aston needs more representation of Hackett clothes in the States. Aston needs to get more product into more retailers. Only one GP watch model isn't helping either. Granted it looks incredible. At least they beat Mercedes to get a watch out! If only the race weekends were the same.