"We were profitable in 2008. We have been in the black since the fourth quarter of 2004, and we want to stay there," Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO told Automobilwoche. If you are confused about the meaning of this statement, you should know that "being in the black" is a good thing, meaning the company has more assets than liabilities.
The top of the line model of the manufacturer, the 240,000 euros DBS (double the price of the V8 Vantage) accounted for 1,000 of the units sold in 2008.
But that's about it for the good news. Bez told German newspaper Die Welt earlier this month that "in light of the current weakening in consumer spending we expect 4,500 to 5,000 unit sales this year."
The company plans to tackle the 2009 sales challenge with its latest models, the V12 Vantage and the One-77, but as the latter is said to be priced at around 1,000,000 pounds, it won't count for much in terms of volume. In addition, Aston Martin will begin production of the Rapide later this year and there is a small chance that the Lagonda concept might get to see the assembly lines as well.
Bez and his company also take under consideration the development of environmentaly friendly powertrains. The CEO said admits that "EU's regulations allow even small firms like Aston Martin the leeway to survive," but he is also aware Aston Martin will have to cut CO2 emissions by 25 percent in the not so distant future.
"We still have to negotiate the details with the EU," Bez said. "But we already have plans for how we can reach that."
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