Aston Martin boss Dave Richards has suggested that the company may be partially floated on the London Stock Exchange. Richards told the Daily Mail that “we will look towards a partial IPO… it would be to finance the next models and fund engine development work where clearly there’ll be a requirement for further investment.”Aston Martin was sold by Ford last year to two Kuwaiti investment companies in a consortium led by Richards. There has been considerable speculation as to how the company will fund the development of future models and it’s believed that Mercedes-Benz may become a major technical partner.An IPO would allow small investors to buy a stake in the iconic sportscar brand. Richards indicated that the revenue-raising move is expected to take place in three to five years’ time.
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Re: Aston Martin PLC?
I think this is bad news. Unless the company wants to expand its offerings then it already shows that cash-flow is unlikely to be sufficient to fund replacement models for the existing line.
A company as small as Aston Martin is also vulnerable to a hostile takeover by a much bigger company.
Is Dave Richards taking Aston Martin back to the bad old days?