It has been sixty years since the scientist “Q” presented the legendary Aston Martin DB5. It had bulletproof glass, several rotating license plates and the famous little red button on the gear lever knob, with which the roof was opened and the pilot was ejected. Childish minutiae compared to the sophistication that the models of a luxury brand that is also an icon of British sophistication have achieved today. And like other automotive giants, it does not close the year in a good state of financial health.
: a 1994 Vantage Volante V8 (also featured in at least a couple of Bond films), and a 1969 DB6 Mark II. The company has announced its intention to raise just over €130 million through a capital increase, along with another 120 more with the acquisition of more debt. All this with the desire to “increase its financial resistance”, at a time when shortages in the supply chain and the decrease in demand for its vehicles in the Chinese market have caused disappointing results figures and .
At the end of last month Aston Martin launched a profit warning (alert of results worse than those announced). The company expected to obtain an operating result (ebitda) of 340 million euros in 2024, compared to 371 million the previous year. The main cause of this result, he claimed, derived from the delay in the delivery of at least half of its new Valiant supermodels. With a value of approximately 2.4 million, the majority of the vehicles on order – a total of 38 – should have reached their new owners by the end of this year. They will do so, instead, at the beginning of 2025.
A racing car
designed hand in hand between Aston Martin and its main driver, . More power, more downforce (the downforce that fans of the star motorsport competition know so well) and much lighter in weight, the model aims to be the next step, surpassing the already consolidated Aston Martin Valor. Alonso presented the car on July 12, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with a fascinating display of power.
Delays in the supply chain have reduced the total number built this year by Aston Martin by up to a thousand vehicles. A very relevant amount for a company with a very select market, which barely produces an average of 5,000 cars a year. In 2023, however, it sold 6,620 of them, and a fifth of them were destined for the Asia-Pacific region.
The company has already announced that it has a group of strategic investors committed to acquiring almost 90 million of the 130 million for sale in new shares. Part of that investment has been underpinned by Yew Tree Consortium, the fund owned by billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who became president of Aston Martin in April 2020. The fund already owns 26.3% of the company.
“The new financing that we are subscribing will be used to support future growth, and the investment necessary to continue creating innovative products,” explained the CEO of Aston Martin, Adrian Hallmark, who for years was the main person in charge of Bentley, the brand. rival when it comes to British automotive luxury. Part of the money raised, Hallmark has indicated, will be used for capital investments linked to the electric vehicle strategy launched by the company, to which it is intended to allocate almost 2.5 billion euros over a period of five years.
Curiously, Aston Martin was involved four years ago in a misinformation scandal, regarding the supposed effectiveness of electric vehicles in curbing the consequences of climate change. The British press called him Astongatebecause the information suggested that the communications and public relations company that had managed to disseminate among some media an alleged study critical of electric cars belonged to Rebecca Stephens, the wife of Aston Martin’s then director of public affairs, James Stephens. The report suggested, with erroneous data, that an electric vehicle needed to travel at least 80,000 kilometers to begin to be less polluting than an internal combustion vehicle, due to the enormous carbon footprint that, the text said, its manufacturing and production entails.
Aston Martin’s history, more than that of any other car company, is full of ups and downs. The company has gone bankrupt on up to seven occasions, which has also had glorious moments of resurrection. His link with a perennial figure such as Agent 007 has created a legion of followers around the world, who have sometimes raised funds to revive the production line and keep the winged brand afloat. “Where is my Bentley?” Bond asked as he entered the laboratory of MI6, the British spy agency. “Your time has passed,” Q replies. “From now on you will drive this Aston Martin DB5,” he showed the secret agent. The rest is already part of the legend that the company intends to continue promoting.
