As we said yesterday, there’s no doubt that Andy Palmer’s appointment as the new CEO of Aston is a great result for the British company.
Palmer has all the right engineering, motorsport and marketing credentials to take the brand to new heights and really compete with the world’s best luxury sports cars - and possibly SUVS too.
But maybe Palmer’s appointment is also the right result for Mercedes-Benz, too. Don’t forget that its parent company Daimler is a five per cent stakeholder in Aston and is about to become a supplier of V8 engines and electronic architecture for the next DB9 and other future models.
Palmer has a close working relationship with the big cheeses at Mercedes as he was one of the key figures in bringing together the Nissan-Renault/Daimler strategic partnership - which is already bearing fruits for model development, engine partnerships and a whole host of back office tie-ups.
Our understanding is that Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche was one of those who had full sign-off on Palmer’s appointment as Aston CEO.
So maybe, just maybe, this is yet another sign that Merc’s relationship with Aston could eventually extend beyond a small stake and engine supply deal?
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The bez legacy!
If Aston is going to build an
Great or Disaster?
If it is good enough for Pagani....
Or (when they were built) the TVR's with that speed 6 engine that blew up after 30k miles?
Or the Mazda RX8, with the endless hot start issues that Mazda had to sort out?
The market expectation is such that even if you shell out on a basic 6k Dacia, you expect the engine to be good for at least 10 years.
The Merc engine will be one of the best, and will be properly developed! That must be a good thing.