Recently there has been a great deal of speculation over the sale of Aston Martin. Various reports have suggested that holding company, Investment Dar Inc., was looking to sell in excess of 50 per cent of the luxury car brand to better cope with its debt load. Other parties rumoured to be in the front running for a share in the Gaydon-based firm are Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra and a European buyout group called Invest Industrial.
Mahindra has supposedly offered up the highest bid, but despite this financial incentive, it may not have the inside line on the deal. The current favourite appears to be Invest Industrial which, despite its lower bid, could also come to the table with a hard-to-resist promise of a technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz – a move that could potentially grant Aston Martin access to the German manufacturer’s technology, including engines, gearboxes and AMG variants thereof.
The initial sale was for in excess of 50 per cent of Aston, but it has recently emerged that the winning bid will walk away with 40 per cent equity and 50 per cent of the voting rights, while Investment Dar retains a 24 per cent share of the British carmaker.
An official announcement is expected within the next week or so.