DB11 Coupe

Segment
Coupe

Thanks to highly improved models like the DB11, Aston Martin has had its best sales years in over a decade. Despite all of the company's success, Aston Martin is looking for a "big brother" partner to help it survive as a low-volume automaker, according to an Automotive News Europe report. Technology is becoming a very important factor in the automotive industry, forcing carmakers to spend billions of dollars just to stay ahead of the competition. Aston Martin could raise money with an upcoming initial public offering.

Going public would raise a ton of cash for the luxury automaker, but it may still need a "big brother" to help develop new technology. "We are making a new kind of a company, a company that can survive on 7,000 to 14,000 very highly priced, very profitable cars a year, but it can survive because of its partnerships. It can be very profitable on that 7,000 to 14,000 cars a year but only by having a big brother that can help it out" said Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin. The most likely candidate for this "big brother" partner is Mercedes-Benz owner, Daimler. Daimler already owns 5% of Aston Martin and shares engines and transmissions with Aston.

The two companies also have a partnership to develop driverless capabilities. Mercedes could be the perfect candidate to take a larger stake in Aston Martin. Other low-volume manufacturers are already backed by larger automakers. Lamborghini is owned by Volkswagen and Ferrari shares ownership with Fiat-Chrysler. Aston Martin is trending in the right direction with impressive sales and an SUV model on the way. It looks like Aston Martin will be building awesome cars for the foreseeable future.