Aston Martin praises technology alliance with Daimler. The statement comes straight from the mouth of Andy Palmer, CEO of the famed British brand, himself.
The firm’s leading man says the deal is crucial to Aston Martin’s future. Getting access to the Mercedes-Benz sourced engines and electrical architectures is definitely a blessing for a niche car maker.
The partnership will allow Aston Martin to use the latest infotainment and active safety systems from Stuttgart, as well as the Mercedes’ performance division’s crown jewel, the brand-new 4.0-liter turbocharged V-8 engine which debuted last year, alongside the Mercedes-AMG GT supercar.
“An engine is an engine, but access to the electrical architecture is future-proofing you. If we wanted to develop that ourselves it’s practically impossible,” Palmer explains.
In return for all these “gifts”, Daimler gets a 5 percent stake in Aston Martin.
Andy Palmer has also shed some light on the planned annual output for the British brand. According to the company’s own CEO, Aston Martin’s maximum production capacity in Gaydon will be limited to 7.000 units a year for its core sports models, with an additional 8.000 units coming from brand-new additions, like the DBX crossover and the Taraf sedan.
Aston Martin will also continue to get its V-12 engines from Ford’s factory in Cologne, Germany, with the powerplants, of course, being assembled by its own employes on a dedicated line.
