Latest Aston Sales

[f328nvl]

Source: Society of Motor Manufacturers

[cardigankid]

Still a good number if not as good as previously for pretty obvious reasons.

[The Pits]

400 astons registered in the UK this year already?

that's amazing in the middle of the worst recession since the '30's and given they've no new models out this year.

I'm pleasantly amazed.

[cardigankid]

Precisely. In the old DB days they would have given their right arms for figures like those. Brilliant job by Bez and the whole team. It bodes well for when things turn round.

[williamp]

Yep. One year they made just 21 cars.

[bromers2]

The Pits said:

400 astons registered in the UK this year already?

that's amazing in the middle of the worst recession since the '30's and given they've no new models out this year.

I'm pleasantly amazed.

Yeah but .... have you seen the discounts they are giving to get those sales, can't be good for the long term.

DBS will be quite a few of those sales.

[f328nvl]

Firstly, note that the data is UK registrations, not sales, and therefore includes cars registered but not sold such as demonstrators and a whole swathe of 4.3ltr V8s that were pre-registered prior to being heavily discounted by dealers ahead of the (new) 4.7ltr version.

Secondly, when AML made 21 cars in 1993 they were in Newport Pagnell not a huge shiny new facility in Gaydon and lost £23m on sales of £15m. Their break-even point is much higher today than in 1990 - their sales were £559m and profits £44m (in AML pre financing) in 2007. Furthermore their interest costs on the debt used to acquire the business push the breakeven even higher.

[cardigankid]

Granted, but those tricks are as old as the car industry and probably horses before, certainly not unknown in the 60's, so I still think it is a good performance.