damn <A BORDER="0" HREF="http://www.supercars.net/PitLane?displayFAQ=y"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="pitlane/emoticons/amazed.gif"></A> so cute
Success and record sales are fine, but he needs to tell me his secret plan for future expansion or he is a failure. A FAILURE!!!
making a good design doesnt mean you can sleep on it design wise, people will start to care less and less, hope they wake up before it's too late
A dark red coupe would look really nice I imagine. Also the AM design has grown on me, I thought it was somewhat bland back in 2004 (how the #$%#ing time flies) but I like it more and more with the years.
well, altough the Aston Martin line looks almost the same, but they are totaly diffrent cars. i am not getting the point of keeping the same design for diffrent cars. having thesame design theme for the models is differnt than having almost identical design for the diffrent models. i saw DB9 and DBS parked next to each other in one of the hotels and i was not able to understand the reason behing this. i think since ian callum is not working with Aston any more, and the same with Henrik Fisker, they have lost the way of finding new design direction direction, they need someone like Walter de'Silva.
Sounds like a lovely car. Are they selling it alongside the regular DB9, or is it a complete replacement?
Ging may be taking this a little far, but he certainly raises an important point. That said, I hesitate to comment on Aston's design direction because I never liked the DB9 in the first place.
yeah but does aston think we are all stupid or something? It's obvious it's just a DB9 with a name change and some subtle differences. The Boxster to Cayman thing was different as the addition of a proper roof is quite a big thing, and this is not what is happening in this case. as for the one-77, well that's a good thing yes, but it is just a halo model like the ferrari enzo, and is far too expensive, although I am interested to know if they are making profit on that car. My original argument stands that they still need to continue development with an entirely new generation platform, instead of this milking of the current one.
Im not talking about the design being old, Im talking about the old platform (engines and chassis) they are using. They need to develop newer versions of these. Does the current base 911 still use an air-cooled, carburated 2 litre engine with 130 hp?
you clearly don't understand aston martins. they are not about exciting new shapes and class leading powerplants... astons are about class, refined cruising, comfort during performance, driveability etc....they are a gentlemans cruiser to take to dinner or the golf course or whatever. its not a track toy to go race with or a flashy car to impress the younger generation with. the current shape is beautiful and still sells, and still looks perfectly at home next to any stable of supercars. they dont really have any reason to change it right now. as for the minor details, personally i dont care for those side skirts they added, i prefer the look of the V8V.
Why do you assume the manufacturer thinks we're all stupid just to adopt a different naming convention? It sounds as if you think Aston are trying to hoodwink customers who are too dumb/undiscerning. Adding a roof on a Boxster is so technologically remarkable that it warrants a completely new name? LOL. The One-77 is only too expensive if nobody buys it. As of December, they have already taken 60 orders. Unless you know the constraints put on Bez internally within the organization, unless you know every single project Aston are working on, then you really have no grounds to conclude he should be sacked. You speak as if they have all the resources within their grasp as any other manufacturer. How do you know they are not continuing development with an entirely new generation platform? Milking this platform has, in part, contributed to their first profits in nearly half a decade. If you want to know what impact this strategy has had during Bez's watch, just consider the numbers. Aston sales, 1914-2003: 22,000 Aston sales, 2007: 7,400 V8 Vantage: 14,000+ DB9: 12,000
Yes, I do believe aston are trying to pull a fast one and are being lazy. I never said adding a roof onto a Boxster is 'technologically remarkable', i said it was a big thing, in terms of overall design. The One-77 will end up like the Jag XJ220. Ulrich Bez was not responsible for these sales figures, Ford was.
Right, because forum members on supercars.net are just like potential Aston customers. Lazy? Their annual R&D budget is only £13-20M, depending on the economy. To put that into perspective, Porsche spends 25M euros per year just on internships and graduate studies. Something like 1B euros on Panamera R&D alone; talk about a car that needed a designer. Adding a roof is no big thing by any means. Maybe it will, but probably not. I don't see Aston losing an AWD system or scissor doors they never promised and unlike the XJ, this is coming with a V12. Back in the day of the XJ220, the economies of Russia, India, China, and the Middle East are nothing like what they are now. If you're going to say that Bez was not responsible for the sales figures, then you can't really say Bez is responsible for, as you say it, the lack of diversity you see in the lineup today. Unless you know what goes on inside of Aston, you're really in no position to say he should be sacked.