Aston Martin to unveil new UK design centre

Luxury car maker Aston Martin is to unveil its new design studio in Gaydon, Warwickshire, just nine months after the firm was sold by Ford for £479m - reports the BBC

The building is central to Aston's plan to expand production at the Gaydon site under its new owners, a consortium headed by racing guru David Richards.

Chief executive Dr Ulrich Bez wants to raise output from 7,000 cars per year to cut waiting lists.

"I would like to supply cars to customers in a decent time," he says.

Fresh demand from wealthy customers in China, Russia, South Africa and New Zealand is driving Dr Bez's desire to expand.

In China, Aston has just opened its first showroom in Shanghai and will open one in Beijing this month. A Moscow showroom was also opened this year.

"We want to grow, and to have higher visibility," Dr Bez tells the BBC.

"We are building the brand, we are speeding up."

This should be done by making more cars to supply new markets, rather than by transferring cars from dealers in established markets, Dr Bez explains.

"We don't want to take cars away from anyone else," he says.

However, the Gaydon development, which is centred around a dedicated Aston Martin production facility that opened in 2003, is not merely about raising volumes.

"We do not only increase our design capacity with this. We also improve our design quality," says Dr Bez.

Gaydon and the 1,500 people who work there will remain central to the company's future. Aston makes its own engines, underframes and chassis at the site.

However, there is every chance that some of its future models - including the £200,000 Rapide which will arrive in about two years - will be made outside the UK, though most likely within the European Union.

Tuesday night's launch party, which is described as "an evening of architecture, art and cool cars", will be used to showcase Aston's latest concept car.

The event will be attended by a string of Aston Martin's customers, including many celebrities.

Such exclusive events are central to Aston Martin's discreet marketing strategy.

"Marketing tools that money can buy is not what I'm looking for," Dr Bez says.

"What you see of us is what we are, not what you see from marketing."

Consequently, Aston Martin's "marketing spend is, when compared with other companies, very small".

In addition to the race days the company arranges for its customers, it also sends out a glossy magazine that relies heavily on the marque's association with other luxury brands, featuring modern design and architecture, and glamorous locations.

In line with its philosophy of success by association, Aston Martin will occasionally be a sponsor - and not just of the fictional British agent James Bond.

"We are sponsoring [the operatic tenor] Placido Domingo's world tour," says Dr Bez. "He called me personally."

"Then of course I invite [some customers] to the concerts. I offer them something they cannot buy.

"This fits together," Dr Bez continues.

"How else would you sell a car like this?"

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