Creating a brand-new car from the ground up is a challenging endeavor, as it demands significant time and substantial investments. This challenge is particularly pronounced for low-volume automakers like Aston Martin, which had a sales figure of only 6,400 cars in 2022. The company aims to increase sales to approximately 7,000 vehicles this year. To streamline development and reduce expenses, Aston Martin is leveraging partnerships to source specific components from its partners.
In order to achieve this objective, Aston Martin is expanding its agreement with Mercedes to secure not only AMG’s twin-turbo V8 engine but also components related to electrical architecture and electric drivetrains.
Mercedes, a company with a significant stake in Aston Martin, has expressed its intention to increase its ownership to 20 percent by the end of this year. Additionally, Aston Martin will be obtaining electric vehicle technology pertaining to powertrains and batteries from Lucid.
Geely, the prominent Chinese automotive company, has increased its ownership stake in Aston Martin to 17 percent. As part of this collaboration, Geely will provide various components to the British sports car manufacturer.
In an interview with Autocar magazine, Aston Martin’s development executive, Roberto Fedeli, revealed that forthcoming models will incorporate seats and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) parts from Geely.
Geely is recognized as the parent company of Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar, among other brands, and also holds a 50:50 joint venture with Mercedes for Smart.
In an effort to expedite the development of new models, Aston Martin’s Roberto Fedeli expressed the company’s intention to procure “as many components as possible from a broad range of options.” By increasing reliance on Geely, the current list of approximately 300 suppliers will be streamlined by around 30 percent, as confirmed by CEO Amedeo Felisa.
During an interview with Autocar, Aston Martin’s CEO Lawrence Stroll made a bold statement, suggesting that he deserves knighthood for his substantial investment in the company. Stroll has injected approximately £1.5 billion (equivalent to nearly $1.9 billion) into both the road car division and the Formula 1 team of Aston Martin.
In an effort to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, Aston Martin has decided to incorporate components from Geely, a major automotive company. This collaboration includes the utilization of Geely seats in future Aston Martin models.
Geely, which holds a 17 percent ownership stake in Aston Martin, will provide various parts and components to support the development of these vehicles. By leveraging Geely’s expertise and resources, Aston Martin aims to enhance the overall quality and performance of its upcoming models.
Source : motor1.com
