Aston Martin has held aroyal warrant as purveyor of motorcars toCharles III (asPrince of Wales and later as King) since 1982,[7][8] and has over 160 car dealerships in 53 countries, making it a global automobile brand.[9] The company is traded on theLondon Stock Exchange and is a constituent of theFTSE 250 Index.[10] In 2003 it received theQueen's Award for Enterprise for outstanding contribution to international trade.[11] The company has survived seven bankruptcies throughout its history.[12]
The headquarters and main production of its sports cars and grand tourers are in a 55-acre (22 ha) facility inGaydon, Warwickshire, England, on the former site ofRAF Gaydon, adjacent to theJaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre.[13] The old 3.6-acre (1.5 ha) facility inNewport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, is the present home of the Aston Martin Works classic car department, which focuses on heritage sales, service, spares and restoration operations.[14][15] The 90-acre (36 ha) factory inSt Athan, Wales, features three converted 'super-hangars' fromMOD St Athan, and serves as the production site of Aston Martin'sSUV, theDBX.[16][17]
Aston Martin has been involved in motorsport at various points in its history, mainly insports car racing,[18] and also inFormula One.[19] The Aston Martin brand is increasingly being used, mostly through licensing, on other products including a submarine,[20] real estate development,[21] and aircraft.[22]
History
Founding
Aston Martin was founded in 1913 byLionel Martin andRobert Bamford.[23] The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made bySinger from premises in Callow Street, London where they also servicedGWK andCalthorpe vehicles. Martin raced specials atAston Hill nearAston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles.[24] The first car to be namedAston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinderCoventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908Isotta Fraschini.[25][26]
They acquired premises at Henniker Mews[27] inKensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Production could not start because of the outbreak of theFirst World War, when Martin joined theAdmiralty and Bamford joined theArmy Service Corps.[28]
1918–1939: Interwar years
1923 Razor Blade Team car1924 tourer1937 2-Litre open 2/4-seater Speed model, Kop Hill 2010
After the war they found new premises at Abingdon Road, Kensington and designed a new car. Bamford left in 1920 and Bamford & Martin was revitalised with funding fromLouis Zborowski. In 1922, Bamford & Martin produced cars to compete in theFrench Grand Prix, which went on to set world speed and endurance records atBrooklands. Three works Team Cars with 16-valve twin cam engines were built for racing and record-breaking: chassis number 1914, later developed as the Green Pea; chassis number 1915, theRazor Blade record car; and chassis number 1916, later developed as theHalford Special.[29]
Approximately 55 cars were built for sale in two configurations; long chassis and short chassis. Bamford & Martin went bankrupt in 1924 and was bought byDorothea, Lady Charnwood, who put her son John Benson on the board. Bamford & Martin got into financial difficulty again in 1925 and Martin was forced to sell the company (Bamford had already left it in 1920).[30]
Later that year, Bill Renwick,Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and investors including Lady Charnwood took control of the business. They renamed it Aston Martin Motors and moved it to the formerWhitehead Aircraft LimitedHanworth works inFeltham. Renwick and Bertelli had been in partnership some years and had developed an overhead-cam four-cylinder engine using Renwick's patented combustion chamber design, which they had tested in anEnfield-Allday chassis. The only "Renwick and Bertelli" motor car made, it was known as "Buzzbox" and still survives.[31]
The pair had planned to sell their engine to motor manufacturers, but having heard that Aston Martin was no longer in production realised they could capitalise on its reputation to jump-start the production of a completely new car.[31]
Between 1926 and 1937 Bertelli was both technical director and designer of all new Aston Martins, since known as "Bertelli cars". They included the 1½-litre "T-type", "International", "Le Mans", "MKII" and its racing derivative, the "Ulster", and the 2-litre 15/98 and its racing derivative, the "Speed Model". Most were open two-seater sports cars bodied by Bert Bertelli's brotherEnrico (Harry), with a small number of long-chassis four-seater tourers, dropheads and saloons also produced.[31]
Bertelli was a competent driver keen to race his cars, one of few owner/manufacturer/drivers. The "LM" team cars were very successful in national and international motor racing including at Le Mans.[31]
Financial problems reappeared in 1932. Aston Martin was rescued for a year byLance Prideaux Brune before passing it on toSir Arthur Sutherland. In 1936, Aston Martin decided to concentrate on road cars, producing just 700 untilWorld War II halted work. Production shifted to aircraft components during the war.[32][33]
In 1947, old-established (1860) privately ownedHuddersfieldgear andmachine tools manufacturerDavid Brown Limited bought Aston Martin, putting it under control of its Tractor Group. David Brown became Aston Martin's latest saviour.[34] He also acquiredLagonda,[35] without its factory, for its 2.6-litreW. O. Bentley-designed engine. Lagonda moved operations to Newport Pagnell and shared engines, resources and workshops. Aston Martin began to build the classic "DB" series of cars.[36]
In April 1950, they announced planned production of their Le Mans prototype to be called theDB2,[37] followed by theDB2/4 in 1953, theDB2/4 MkII in 1955, theDB Mark III in 1957 and the Italian-styled 3.7 LDB4 in 1958.[36]
While these models helped Aston Martin establish a good racing pedigree, theDB4 stood out and yielded the famousDB5 in 1963. Aston stayed true to itsgrand touring style with theDB6 (1965–70), andDBS (1967–1972).[36]
The six-cylinder engines of these cars from 1954 up to 1965 were designed byTadek Marek.[38]
1972–1975: William Willson
The Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine was a mainstay of the Aston Martin lineup for decades, and was built from 1969 until 2000.
Aston Martin was often financially troubled. In 1972, David Brown paid off all its debts, said to be £5 million or more, and handed it for £101 to Company Developments, aBirmingham-based investment bank consortium chaired by accountantWilliam Willson.[39] More detail on this period may be read atWillson's biography. Theworldwide recession, lack ofworking capital and the difficulties of developing an engine to meetCalifornia's exhaust emission requirements – it stopped the company's US sales – again pulled Aston Martin into receivership at the end of 1974. The company had employed 460 workers when the manufacturing plant closed.[40]
1975–1981: Sprague and Curtis
The receiver sold the business in April 1975 for £1.05 million to North American businessman Peter Sprague ofNational Semiconductor, Toronto hotelier George Minden,[41] and Jeremy Turner, a London businessman,[42] who insisted to reporters that Aston Martin remained a British controlled business. Sprague later claimed he had fallen in love with the factory, not the cars, the workforce's craftsmanship dedication and intelligence. At this point, he and Minden had brought in investor Alan Curtis, a British office property developer, together with George Flather, a retired Sheffieldsteel magnate.[43]
Six months later, in September 1975, the factory – shut down the previous December – re-opened under its new owner as Aston Martin Lagonda Limited with 100 employees, and planned to lift staff to 250 by the end of 1975.[40] In January 1976, AML revealed that it now held orders for 150 cars for the US, 100 for other markets and another 80 from a Japanese importing agency.[44] At theGeneva Motor Show, Fred Hartley, managing director and sales director for 13 years before that, announced he had resigned over "differences in marketing policy".[45]
The new owners pushed Aston Martin into modernising its line, introducing theV8 Vantage in 1977, the convertibleVolante in 1978, and the one-offBulldog styled byWilliam Towns in 1980. Towns also styled the futuristic newLagonda saloon, based on the V8 model.[46]
Curtis, who had a 42% stake in Aston Martin,[47] also brought about a change in direction from the usual customers who were Aston Martin fans, to successful young married businessmen. Prices had been increased by 25%.[43] There was speculation that AML was about to buy Italian automobile manufacturerLamborghini.[48] At the end of the 1970s, there was widespread debate about running MG into the Aston Martin consortium. 85 Conservative MPs formed themselves into a pressure group to get British Leyland to release their grip and hand it over.[49] CH Industrials plc (car components) bought a 10% share in AML. But in July 1980, blaming a recession, AML cut back their workforce of 450 by more than 20%, making those people redundant.[50]
1981–1987: Victor Gauntlett
In January 1981, there having been no satisfactory revival partners, Alan Curtis and Peter Sprague announced they had never intended to maintain a long-term financial stake in Aston Martin Lagonda and it was to be sold toPace Petroleum'sVictor Gauntlett. Sprague and Curtis pointed out that under their ownership AML finances had improved to where an offer for MG might have been feasible.[51]
Gauntlett bought a 12.5% stake in Aston Martin for £500,000 viaPace Petroleum in 1980, with Tim Hearley of CH Industrials taking a similar share. Pace and CHI took over as joint 50/50 owners at the beginning of 1981, with Gauntlett as executive chairman. Gauntlett also led the sales team, and after some development and publicity when theLagonda became the world's fastest four-seater production car, was able to sell the car in Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.[52] In 1982, Aston Martin was granted aRoyal Warrant of Appointment by thePrince of Wales.[8]
Understanding that it would take some time to develop new Aston Martin products, they created an engineering service subsidiary to develop automotive products for other companies. It was decided to use a trade name of Salmons & Son, their in-house coachbuilder,Tickford, which Aston Martin had bought in 1955. Tickford's name had been long associated with expensive high-quality carriages and cars along with their folding roofs. New products included a TickfordAustin Metro, a TickfordFord Capri and even Tickford train interiors, particularly on theJaguar XJS.[52] Pace continued sponsoring racing events, and now sponsored all Aston Martin Owners Club events, taking a Tickford-engined Nimrod Group C car owned by AMOC PresidentViscount Downe, which came third in the Manufacturers Championship in both 1982 and 1983. It also finished seventh in the1982 24 Hours of Le Mans race. However, sales of production cars were now at an all-time low of 30 cars produced in 1982.[52]
As trading became tighter in the petroleum market, and Aston Martin was requiring more time and money, Gauntlett agreed to sell Hays/Pace to the Kuwait Investment Office in September 1983. As Aston Martin required greater investment, he also agreed to sell his share holding to American importer and Greek shipping tycoonPeter Livanos, who invested via his joint venture with Nick and John Papanicolaou, ALL Inc. Gauntlett remained chairman of AML, 55% of the stake was owned by ALL, with Tickford a 50/50 venture between ALL and CHI. The uneasy relationship was ended when ALL exercised options to buy a larger share in AML; CHI's residual shares were exchanged for CHI's complete ownership of Tickford, which retained the development of existing Aston Martin projects. In 1984, Papanicolaou's Titan shipping business was in trouble so Livanos's father George bought out the Papanicolaou's shares in ALL, while Gauntlett again became a shareholder with a 25% holding in AML. The deal valued Aston Martin/AML at £2 million, the year it built its 10,000th car.[52]
Although as a result Aston Martin had to make 60 members of the workforce redundant, Gauntlett bought a stake in Italian styling houseZagato, and resurrected its collaboration with Aston Martin.[53] In 1986, Gauntlett negotiated the return of the fictional British secret agentJames Bond to Aston Martin.Cubby Broccoli had chosen to recast the character using actorTimothy Dalton, in an attempt to re-root the Bond-brand back to a moreSean Connery-like feel. Gauntlett supplied his personal pre-production Vantage for use in the filming ofThe Living Daylights, and sold a Volante to Broccoli for use at his home in America. Gauntlett turned down the role of aKGB colonel in the film, however: "I would have loved to have done it but really could not afford the time."[54]
1987–2007: Ford Motor Company
As Aston Martin needed funds to survive in the long term,Ford bought a 75% stake in the company in 1987, and bought the rest later.[55][56] In May of that year, Victor Gauntlett andPrince Michael of Kent were staying at the home of Contessa Maggi, the wife of the founder of the originalMille Miglia, while watching the revival event. Another house guest wasWalter Hayes, vice-president ofFord of Europe. Despite problems over the previous acquisition ofAC Cars, Hayes saw the potential of the brand and the discussion resulted inFord taking a share holding in September 1987.[57] In 1988, having produced some 5,000 cars in 20 years, a revived economy and successful sales of limited editionVantage, and 52Volante Zagato coupés at £86,000 each; Aston Martin finally retired the ancient V8 and introduced theVirage range.[58]
Although Gauntlett was contractually to stay as chairman for two years, his racing interests took the company back into sports car racing in 1989 with limited European success. However, with engine rule changes for the 1990 season and the launch of the new Volante model, Ford provided the limited supply ofCosworth engines to theJaguar cars racing team. As the entry-levelDB7 would require a large engineering input, Ford agreed to take full control of Aston Martin, and Gauntlett handed over Aston Martin's chairmanship to Hayes in 1991.[59] In 1992, the high-performance variant of the Virage called theVantage was announced, and the following year Aston Martin renewed the DB range by announcing the DB7.[60]
By 1993, Ford had fully acquired the company after having built a stake in 1987.[61] Ford placed Aston Martin in thePremier Automotive Group, invested in new manufacturing and ramped up production. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory at Banbury Road inBloxham to manufacture the DB7. In 1995, Aston Martin produced a record 700 cars.[62] Until the Ford era, cars had been produced by hand coachbuilding craft methods, such as theEnglish wheel. During the mid-1990s, the Special Projects Group, a secretive unit with Works Service at Newport Pagnell, created an array of special coach-built vehicles for the Brunei royal family.[63] In 1998, the 2,000th DB7 was built, and in 2002, the 6,000th, exceeding production of all of the previous DB series models. The DB7 range was revamped by the addition of more powerfulV12 Vantage models in 1999, and in 2001, Aston Martin introduced the V12-engined flagship model called theVanquish which succeeded the aging Virage (now called the V8 Coupé).[64]
The DB9 was the first car to use the "vertical/horizontal" platform.
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in 2003, Aston Martin introduced theV8 Vantage concept car. Expected to have few changes before its introduction in 2005, the Vantage brought back the classic V8 engine to allow Aston Martin to compete in a larger market. 2003 also saw the opening of theGaydon factory, the first purpose-built factory in Aston Martin's history. The facility is situated on a 55-acre (22 ha) site of a formerRAFV Bomberairbase, with an 8,000 m2 (86,000 sq ft) front building for offices, meeting rooms and customer reception, and a 35,000 m2 (380,000 sq ft) production building.[13][65] Also introduced in 2003 was theDB9 coupé, which replaced the ten-year-oldDB7. Aconvertible version of the DB9, theDB9 Volante, was introduced at the 2004Detroit auto show.[66]
In October 2004, Aston Martin set up the dedicated 12,500 m2 (135,000 sq ft)Aston Martin Engine Plant (AMEP) within theFord Germany plant inNiehl, Cologne. With the capacity to produce up to 5,000 engines a year by 100 specially trained personnel, like traditional Aston Martin engine production from Newport Pagnell, assembly of each unit was entrusted to a single technician from a pool of 30, with V8 and V12 variants assembled in under 20 hours. By bringing engine production back to within Aston Martin, the promise was that Aston Martin would be able to produce small runs of higher performance variants' engines.[67][68] This expanded engine capacity allowed the entry-levelV8 Vantage sports car to enter production at the Gaydon factory in 2006, joining the DB9 and DB9 Volante.[69]
In December 2003, Aston Martin announced it would return to motor racing in 2005. A new division was created, calledAston Martin Racing, which became responsible, together withProdrive, for the design, development, and management of the DBR9 program. The DBR9 competes in the GT class insports car races, including the world-famous24 Hours of Le Mans.[70]
In 2006, an internal audit led Ford to consider divesting itself of parts of itsPremier Automotive Group. After suggestions of sellingJaguar Cars,Land Rover, orVolvo Cars were weighed, Ford announced in August 2006 it had engagedUBS AG to sell all or part of Aston Martin at auction.[71]
2007–2018: Private limited company
On 12 March 2007, a consortium led byProdrive chairmanDavid Richards purchased Aston Martin for £475 million (US$848 million).[72][73][74] The group included American investment banker John Sinders and two Kuwaiti companies namely Investment Dar andAdeem Investment.[75][76] Prodrive had no financial involvement in the deal.[77] Ford kept a stake in Aston Martin valued at £40 million (US$70 million).[78]
To demonstrate the V8 Vantage's durability across hazardous terrain and promote the car in China, the first east–west crossing of theAsian Highway was undertaken between June and August 2007. A pair of Britons drove 12,089 km (7,512 miles) from Tokyo toIstanbul before joining the European motorway network for another 3,259 km (2,025 miles) to London. The promotion was so successful Aston Martin opened dealerships in Shanghai and Beijing within three months.[79]
On 19 July 2007, theNewport Pagnell plant rolled out the last of nearly 13,000 cars made there since 1955, a Vanquish S. The Tickford Street facility was converted and became the home of the Aston Martin Works classic car department which focuses on heritage sales, service, spares and restoration operations.[80][81] UK production was subsequently concentrated on the 55-acre (22 ha) facility inGaydon on the formerRAFV Bomberairbase.[82] In March 2008, Aston Martin announced a partnership withMagna Steyr to outsource manufacture of over 2,000 cars annually to Graz, Austria, reassuringly stating: "The continuing growth and success of Aston Martin is based upon Gaydon as the focal point and heart of the business, with the design and engineering of all Aston Martin products continuing to be carried out there."[83]
More dealers in Europe and the new pair in China brought the total to 120 in 28 countries.[84] On 1 September 2008, Aston Martin announced the revival of theLagonda marque, proposing a concept car to be shown in 2009 to coincide with the brand's 100th anniversary. The first production cars were slated for production in 2012.[85] In December 2008, Aston Martin announced it would cut its workforce from 1,850 to 1,250 due to the economic recession.[86][87]
The first four-doorRapide grand tourers rolled out of theMagna Steyr factory inGraz, Austria, in 2010.[88] The contract manufacturer provides dedicated facilities to ensure compliance with the exacting standards of Aston Martin and other marques, includingMercedes-Benz. Then CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez had publicly speculated about outsourcing all of Aston Martin's operations with the exception of marketing.[89] In September 2011, it was announced that production of the Rapide would be returned to Gaydon in the second half of 2012, restoring all of the company's automobile manufacture there.[90]
Italian private equity fund Investindustrial signed a deal on 6 December 2012 to buy a 37.5% stake in Aston Martin, investing £150 million as a capital increase.[91][92][93][94] This was confirmed by Aston Martin in a press release on 7 December 2012.[95] David Richards left Aston Martin in 2013, returning to concentrate on Prodrive.[96]
2012 Aston Martin Vanquish
In April 2013, it was reported that Bez would be leaving his role as the chief executive officer to take up a more ambassadorial position.[97] On 2 September 2014, Aston Martin announced it had appointed theNissan executiveAndy Palmer as the new CEO with Bez retaining a position as non-executive chairman.[98][99] As sales had been declining from 2015, Aston Martin sought new customers (particularly wealthy female buyers) with introducing concept cars like the DBX SUV along with track focused cars like theVulcan.[100][101] According to Palmer, the troubles started when sales of the DB9 failed to generate sufficient fund to develop next-generation models which led to a downward spiral of declining sales and profitability.[102]
Palmer outlined that the company plans to develop two new platforms, add a crossover, refresh its supercar lineup and leverage its technology alliance with Daimler as part of its six-year plan to make the 100-year-old British brand consistently profitable. He stated, "In the first century we went bankrupt seven times. The second century is about making sure that is not the case."[102] In preparation for its next-generation of sports cars, the company invested £20 million ($33.4 million) to expand its manufacturing plant in Gaydon. The expansion at the Gaydon plant includes a new chassis and pilot build facility, as well as an extension of the parts and logistics storage area, and new offices. In total, Aston Martin will add approximately 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft) to the plant.[103][104][105]
Aston Martin Lagonda Production & Technology Centre St Athan,Wales
In 2014, Aston Martin suffered a pre-tax loss of £72 million, almost triple of the amount of 2013 selling 3,500 cars during the year, well below the 7,300 cars sold in 2007 and 4,200 sold in 2013 respectively.[106] In March 2014, Aston Martin issued "payment in kind" notes of US$165 million, at 10.25% interest, in addition to the £304 million of senior secured notes at 9.25% issued in 2011.[106] Aston Martin also had to secure an additional investment of £200 million from its shareholders to fund development of new models.[106] It was reported that Aston Martin's pre-tax losses for 2016 increased by 27% to £162.8 million, the sixth year it continued to suffer a loss.[107]
In February 2016, the company selected a 90-acre (36 ha) site inSt Athan,South Wales for its new factory.[108][109] The Welsh facility was unanimously chosen by Aston's board despite fierce competition from other locations as far afield as the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, as well as other sites in the UK believed to beBridgend,Birmingham, andCoventry. The facility featured three existing 'super-hangars' ofMOD St Athan.[110][111] Construction work of converting the hangars commenced in April 2017.[112] Aston Martin returned to profit in 2017 after selling over 5,000 cars. The company made a pre-tax profit of £87 million compared with a £163 million loss in 2016.[113] 2017 also marked the return of production of theNewport Pagnell facility ten years after it originally ceased.[114]
2013–present: Partnership with Mercedes-Benz Group
In December 2013, Aston Martin signed a deal withMercedes-Benz Group (at the time known as Daimler) to supply the next generation of Aston Martin cars withMercedes-AMG engines.[115] Mercedes-AMG also was to supply Aston Martin with electrical systems. This technical partnership was intended to support Aston Martin's launch of a new generation of models that would incorporate new technology and engines. In exchange, Mercedes will get as much as 5% equity in Aston Martin and a non-voting seat on its board.[116][117] The first model to sport the Mercedes-Benz technology was theDB11, announced at the 86thGeneva Motor Show in March 2016.[118][119] It featured Mercedes-Benz electronics for the entertainment, navigation and other systems.[120][121] It was also the first model to use Mercedes-AMG V8 engines.[122] In October 2020, Mercedes confirmed it will increase its holding "in stages" from 5% to 20%.[123][124] In return, Aston Martin will have access to Mercedes-Benz hybrid and electric drivetrain technologies for its future models.[125][126]
2018–present: Listed on the London Stock Exchange
After "completing a turnaround for the once perennially loss-making company that could now be valued at up to 5 billion pounds ($6.4 billion),"[127] and now reporting a full-year pre-tax profit of £87 million (compared with a £163 million loss in 2016) Aston Martin in August 2018 announced plans to float the company at the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.[128][127] The company was the subject of aninitial public offering on the London Stock Exchange on 3 October 2018.[10] In the same year, Aston Martin opened a new vehicle dynamics test and development centre at Silverstone's Stowe Circuit alongside a new HQ in London.[129][130][131] In June 2019, the company opened its new 90-acre (36 ha) factory inSt Athan for the production of its first-ever SUV theDBX.[132][133][134] The factory was finally completed and officially opened on 6 December 2019. When full production begins in the second quarter of 2020, around 600 people will be employed at the factory, rising to 750 when peak production is reached.[135][136]
On 31 January 2020 it was announced that Canadian billionaire and investorLawrence Stroll was leading a consortium, Yew Tree Overseas Limited, who will pay £182 million in return for 16.7% stake in the company. The re-structuring includes a £318 million cash infusion through a new rights issue, generating a total of £500 million for the company.[137][138][139] Stroll will also be named as chairman, replacingPenny Hughes.[140][141][142] Swiss pharmaceutical magnateErnesto Bertarelli andMercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team principal and CEOToto Wolff have also joined the consortium, acquiring 3.4% and 4.8% stakes, respectively.[143] In March 2020, Stroll increased his stake in the company to 25%.[144][145][146]
On 26 May 2020, Aston Martin announced that Andy Palmer had stepped down as CEO.Tobias Moers ofMercedes-AMG will succeed him starting 1 August, with Keith Stanton as interim chief operating officer.[147][148] In June 2020, the company announced that it cut out 500 jobs as a result of the poor sales, an outcome of theCOVID-19 pandemic lockdown.[149] In March 2021, executive chairman Lawrence Stroll stated that the company plans on buildingelectric vehicles by 2025.[150][151][152] In May 2022, Aston Martin named 76-year-oldAmedeo Felisa as the new chief executive officer, replacing Tobias Moers. Roberto Fedeli was also announced as the new chief technical officer.[153][154][155]
In late 2020, Aston Martin was involved in a controversy in which it was accused of using a report to spread disputed information aboutelectric vehicles in the wake of the UK's declaration to end the sale ofcombustion engine vehicles by 2030, with some in the media dubbing the controversy as "Astongate".[156] In November 2020, a communications agency called Clarendon Communications published a report comparing the environmental impact of various powertrain options for cars. After the report received coverage fromThe Sunday Times and other publications, it emerged that the company had been set up in February that year and was registered under the name of Rebecca Stephens – the wife of James Stephens, who is the government affairs director of Aston Martin Lagonda. Citing a study byPolestar, the report stated that electric vehicles would need to be driven 48,000 miles (77,000 km) before they would have lower overall CO2 emissions than a petrol car. This statement was disputed by electric vehicle researcher Auke Hoekstra, who argued that the report underestimated the emissions from combustion engine vehicles and did not consider the emissions from creating petrol. According to him, a typical EV would need to drive 16,000–18,000 miles (25,700–30,000 km) to offset the emissions from manufacture.Bosch and a number of other companies were also involved with the report.[157][158]
In July 2022,Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will take a stake in the company through a £78 million equity placing as well as a £575 million separate rights issue, giving it two board seats in the company. After the rights issue, the Saudi fund will have a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin, behind the 18.3% holding by Stroll's Yew Tree consortium while the Mercedes-Benz Group will own 9.7%.[159][160][161] In September 2022, Chinese automakerGeely acquired a 7.6% stake in the company.[162][163][164] In December 2022, Stroll and the Yew Tree consortium increased their stake in the company to 28.29%.[165][166] In May 2023, Geely increased its stake to 17%, becoming the third-largest shareholder after the Yew Tree consortium and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.[167][168][169]
In June 2023, Aston Martin signed an agreement withLucid Motors after selecting it to help supply electric motors, powertrains, and battery systems for its upcoming range of fully electric cars. In return, Aston Martin will make cash payments and issue a 3.7percent stake in its company to Lucid, worth $232million in total.[170][171] In September 2023, the Yew Tree consortium increased their stake by 3.27% to 26.23%.[172][173][174] In October 2023, Aston Martin announced that it would compete in theFIA World Endurance Championship andIMSA SportsCar Championship in 2025.[175][176][177] In April 2024, the company said it would push back production of its firstelectric vehicle to 2027.[178] In March 2024, Aston Martin announced Adrian Hallmark as its new CEO beginning 1 October 2024, replacing Amedeo Felisa.[179][180]
In September 2024, Aston Martin issued a profit warning, saying it had been hit by a fall in demand in China.[181] In November 2024, Aston Martin issued another warning following a minor delay in the deliveries of their Valiant model. In response, they said they would issue new shares and debt totalling £210 million.[182] In February 2025, CEO Adrian Hallmark announced the company would again push back production of its first electric vehicle to 2030.[183] On 31 March 2025, the Yew Tree Consortium is set to inject an additional £52.5 million into the marque by purchasing 75 million shares at 70 pence per share, increasing its stake to 33%.[184][185] The company will also sell shares in the Formula One racing team that it sponsors. In total, the two transactions will raise £125 million.[186][187]
Since 2015, Aston Martin has sought to increase its appeal to women as a luxury lifestyle brand.[205] A female advisory panel was established to adapt the design of the cars to the taste of women.[206] In September 2016, a 37-foot-long Aston Martin speedboat was unveiled called the Aston Martin AM37 powerboat.[207] In May 2018, Aston Martin launched a submersible called Project Neptune in partnership with submarine building companyTriton Submarines.[208] Aston Martin has collaborated with the luxury clothing companyHackett London to deliver items of clothing.[209] In November 2017, Aston Martin unveiled a special limited edition bicycle after collaborating with bicycle manufacturerStorck.[210]
Aston Martin and global property developer G&G Business Developments constructed a 66-storey luxury condominium tower calledAston Martin Residences at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way in Miami, Florida, which opened in 2024.[21]
In July 2018, Aston Martin unveiled the Volante Vision Concept, a luxury concept aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities.[211] Also in July, aLego version of James Bond's DB5 car was put on sale,[212] and an Aston Martin-branded watch was released in collaboration withTAG Heuer.[213]
In October 2018, Aston Martin announced it was opening a design and brand studio in Shanghai.[214]
Aston Martin is currently associated with two different racing organisations. TheAston Martin Formula One team which competes in the Formula One Championship andAston Martin Racing which currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Both racing organisations use the Aston Martin brand, but are not directly owned by Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Formula One team is owned by major Aston Martin shareholder Lawrence Stroll and operated by his companyAMR GP,[215] while Aston Martin Racing is operated by racing companyProdrive as part of an agreement with Aston Martin.[18]
Aston Martin participated as a Formula One constructor in1959 and1960 entering six races over the two years but failing to score any points.[216][217] In January 2020, it was announced that theRacing Point F1 Team is due to be rebranded as Aston Martin for the2021 season, as a result of a funding investment led byRacing Point ownerLawrence Stroll.[218][219][220] As part of the rebrand, the team switched their racing colour ofBWT pink to a modern iteration of Aston Martin'sBritish racing green.[221][222] TheAston Martin AMR21 was unveiled in March 2021 and became Aston Martin's first Formula One car after a 61-year absence from the sport.[223][224][225]
Although World Championship races held in 1952 and 1953 were run to Formula Two regulations, constructors who only participated during this period are included herein to maintain Championship continuity. Constructors whose only participation in the World Championship was in theIndianapolis 500 races between 1950 and 1960 are not listed.
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