Source: Toyota To Take Over Aston Martin? | Motorward



News of Aston Martin sale hit the automotive community hard yesterday, causing lots of debate about who would be a better owner for the British brand. So far names mentioned as the strongest possibilities include India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, and Toyota.

Now one might think why would Aston’s current owner Investment Dar Company – who owns 64 percent of Gaydon’s finest firm – sell its stake now? Aston is in its best financial health in years and has the strongest lineup ever.

The answer to that question is because the Kuwaiti firm itself is not doing so well these days. They need the money to reorganize 1.37 billion dinars ($4.9 billion) of debt after missing payment on an Islamic bond in May 2009. According to Businessweek, Dar is expecting to get $800 million for Aston Martin. They paid $805 million for it back in 2007.

Even though change begets change, and that may not be good for a company that already has a successful plan, a new powerful owner is exactly what Aston needs to secure its future. Aston is the only sports car maker today that is operating without support of a big car maker. All the others are in one way or another attached to a larger operation.

That makes the idea of Toyota taking over Aston Martin sound like a good plan. The two companies have already worked with each other on various projects and know each other well enough to make the transition without too much damage.What’s more, Bloomberg reports that Toyota has already hired an auditor to analyze and evaluate Aston Martin’s business.

Mahindra & Mahindra is also a good option; after all, the Indians have showed before they can work wonders with struggling British companies.