Aston Martin: How Recycled Platforms and Eight-Year-Old Tech Could be the Brand’s Downfall
Unlike Bentley, Lamborghini, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce – who are owned by highly successful mainstream brands Volkswagen, Audi, Fiat and BMW respectively – specialist manufacturers such as Aston Martin have a hard time in the market. 
Whereas a company like Mercedes-Benz can afford to spend €5 billion (US$7.1 billion) in one year on research and development, the Gaydon-based manufacturer of performance/luxury coupes is planning its next models on the eight-year-old platform that first underpinned the DB9 coupe in 2003!
In fact, of the 15 models in the brand’s current line-up only two of them – the One-77 supercar and Toyota iQ-derived Cygnet city car – are not based on the DB9’s aluminium “vertical-horizontal” platform.
Ian Callum, who designed the DB9 and is now working as design director at Tata’s Jaguar/Land Rover, explains:
“It’s still that same old basic design [of two-door coupe / convertible]. Some will argue that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But you do get to a time when you have to move on.”
The brand’s bestselling, US$113,400 Vantage coupe and even the upcoming, £330,000 (US$539,979) V12 Zagato will be based on the same old underpinnings as its eight-year-old stablemate due to a need to keep costs down across the board.
Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez explains: “All the projects that we are doing have to make a profit. We can’t afford a project that is just a marketing tool.”
It’s one of the reasons the automaker has been able to secure a 20% profit margin in the last financial year, despite selling only 4,299 cars. Compare this to Mercedes-Benz, which had a FY2010 profit margin of 10.7%.
By recycling technology and cannibalising its older platforms and engines, Aston Martin has been able to remain profitable. It’s a sentiment echoed by company CFO Hanno Kirner:
“We don’t make the mistake of applying manufacturing techniques that are perfectly sensible for 500,000-a-year models to small-volume cars.”
Whereas companies like BMW are investing in lightweight carbon fibre materials, electric vehicles (EVs) and front-wheel-drive, Aston Martin just continues to do what it has always done mostly due to a lack of resources.
It’s one of the reasons the brand took in £509 million ($830 million) in revenue for the last financial year and is currently looking into both an expansion into China and a potential public float.
And with rivals like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Nissan GT-R – cars that are both cheaper and more technologically advanced than the recently introduced Virage – Aston-Martin will certainly have to raise its game if it’s going to remain competitive in 2012 and beyond.
You may be surprised to learn that the Pagani Huayra isn’t my cup of tea (that’s Anglo-speak for “ I don’t like it”). Conversely, I have a great amount of affection for the Zonda and its limited-run sister, the Zonda F. The Huayra seems more Spyker-lookalike than Enzo-killer, which many would agree was the first generation Z’s raison d’être.
I also like Ardalan Farboud’s Pagani Sei design study. It has the sort of unfussy slickness that the Zonda had and the Huayra lacks, while staying true to the brand’s tenets of being lithe, fast and using gratuitous amounts of carbon fibre. Farboud, a recent graduate from Coventry University’s Master of Design course, produced the Sei as part of his final year project.
Let’s take a moment to ignore the irrationality of studying the vital statistics of a car that does not nor will ever exist and dive right into it.
The Sei features two stainless steel subframes fore and aft of a carbon fibre tub, the former housing the axles and engine whilst the latter holds the interior and fuel storage. An aluminium alloy, AMG-sourced twin turbo 4.8 L V8 is good for a theoretical 1,200 hp (895 kW) coupled to a 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox. With up-shifts accomplished in an favorable fast 80 miliseconds, the Sei can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in a quick 2.9 seconds.
The car’s 1100 kg (2646 lb) kerb weight is supported by an F1-inspired carbon fibre, stainless steel and aluminium double wishbone suspension setup. The rear suspension is adjustable. 19 x 9.5 inch front and 20 x 12.5 inch rear carbon fibre wheels are wrapped in 265/35ZR19 front and 335/30ZR20 rear rubber.
Add to that a ceramic powder coated stainless steel exhaust, carbon ceramic disk brakes and E85 compatibility and you have one impressive (if completely imaginary) hypercar. There’s even a video that you can check out along with our comprehensive image gallery. Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section below.
We have some pretty good news for Pagani fans with a hefty bank account in the States; the Italian firm is finally entering the U.S. market for the very first time with its new supercar. The company's previous model, the Zonda, was barred from the U.S. due to emissions restrictions, but that's not the case with the new Huayra.
According to Pagani Automobili's managing director, Francesco Zappacosta, the 700-horsepower exotic supercar will cost around $1.1 million and it’ll be available later this year initially through two select dealers.
The prohibitive price tag coupled with the fact that the Italian maker expects to reach its maximum production capacity next year producing only a few dozen cars annually, guarantees that the Huayra won’t be a common sight,.
The Zonda replacement’s future looks bright, as other players in the niche are either winding down production – the case of Volkswagen’s $1.3 million Bugatti Veyron – or are years away from presenting a worthy opponent.
Those lucky enough to get their hands on a Huayra are going to receive a truly high-tech and custom tailored exotic machine. For example, the body of the gullwing is constructed from carbon fiber combined with titanium strings, which prevents body parts from shattering. Inside, the instrument panel was designed by a Swiss watchmaker and is accompanied by a host of elements made from aluminum. But, ultimately, the customer dictates what goes into the car, as Pagani is ready to meet any specifications. “We see ourselves like a custom suit maker,” Zappacosta said.
Named after a South American god of wind, the Huayra is motivated by a brand new AMG-sourced twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 700HP and 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft) of mountain-moving torque. No 0-to-100 km/h (62 mph) time has been released, but the 1,361 kg (3,000 lbs) supercar is said to have a top speed of 370 km/h or 230 mph.
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Whereas a company like Mercedes-Benz can afford to spend €5 billion (US$7.1 billion) in one year on research and development, the Gaydon-based manufacturer of performance/luxury coupes is planning its next models on the eight-year-old platform that first underpinned the DB9 coupe in 2003! 
