Daimler Increases Stake in Aston Martin
According to Bloomberg, Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes, has once again increased its stake in Aston Martin to a total of 5 percent. We’ve known for a while that Mercedes has been helping Aston, even inking a deal to supply the automaker with brand-new AMG engines. What isn’t clear is where this partnership is heading.
Mercedes and Daimler have been expanding lately, even being linked to a proposed deal to purchase motorcycle maker MV Agusta earlier this year. Now with the expansion of investment into the British marque, more talk is going around that Daimler could just buy up a controlling stake in Aston.
This makes sense in a business perspective. Daimler has the cash and R&D wings that could help the usually beleaguered Aston Martin. The company has always balanced on the edge of profitability and failure. With Daimler’s money, and AMG’s engines, the partnership may just bring the company to new heights. Sure, there will be pushback from Brits due to another German company buying up an historic British nameplate, but would you rather see a world without Aston Martin? I wouldn’t.
It’s certainly not the biggest of investments into the company as of late. In 2012, a London-based investment company dropped a whole lot of cash for a 37.5-percent stake, and there are at least a few other shareholders with much more invested in the company. We will have to see where this goes.