The Aston Martin factory in Gaydon is moving to a three-day work week, as demand for the eternally troubled supercar maker’s mechanically-plagued products craters. The BBC reports that the marque’s masters are putting the best possible spin on the move, which is fooling nobody. “The company, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire, said the new Monday to Wednesday shift pattern was temporary and affected just under 600 staff. The employees’ hours will be ‘banked’ and claimed back by the firm later. The firm, which announced 600 redundancies in December, said it had consulted unions over the move. Three hundred staff have already left and it is in the final stages of consultation over the remaining 300. It will employ 1,250 staff at Gaydon following the planned redundancies.” But wait! Here comes the cavalry!
“The move comes as the government announced a potential £2.3bn tax payer bailout for the industry, which has been badly hit by the recession.” Only Aston Martin is no longer an English firm. And that the Kuwaitis who own it, Investment Dar, were looking to off-load their shares. In any case, enter the Rapide. What happens if that dog won’t hunt?
I doubt that the 2.3 billion pound bailout is limited to English firms. Otherwise Morgan has just hit a windfall.
Like Bentley, assembled in England from Audi parts, Aston Martin, if it survives, will become another British marque assembled from German components, in this case supplied by Mercedes Benz. AM is one of many British phoenix-like car companies, which have died innumerable deaths. Regardless of questionable quality and reliability, Aston Martin has so often produced strikingly beautiful models.
So they assemble cars just 3 days a week and plan on competing with Audi & Peugeot in LMP1? Does this make Aston Martin a part time auto mfg?
Noooooooooo!
Independent niche manufacturers building supercars for the fickle ultra wealthy is a long dead business model. The survivors in this segment are all divisions of much larger automotive companies: Rolls, Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati & Lamborghini.
R.I.P. Aston Martin, again.
Independent niche manufacturers building supercars for the fickle ultra wealthy is a long dead business model.
I tend to agree. I think when cars were predominantly body on frame, there was some latitude to build exquisite coachbuilt cars for the ultrawealthy. But unibody construction makes that very difficult. I think the only place that model still works are places that build ultra high end hot rods.
Are Astons still mechanical nightmares?
The Rapide will sell. I hope they last long enough to get it to market. While the ultra-lux market is fickle, they will swarm to the Rapide when faced with the other sedan coupes, Panamera, cough.
C’mon Tata! Buck-up to save another Empire relic!
Ashame, it’s nice to have options (I’ll never have) in the exotic segment outside of Ferrari, Porsche and Lambo.
Here’s hoping Maserati doesn’t follow next.
Monday to Wednesday. What, no Friday lemons anymore? Jeremy Clarkson will be very pleased.
Egads…what is with that front overhang? Puts a ’90s Camaro to shame.
That notwithstanding, Astons are beautiful cars, but anachronisms all. Maserati has stolen Aston’s raison d’etre and doing it better, so this is a loss we can afford to accept. Porsche can corner the market on misshapen, inappropriately low sedans and no one will care.
Phil