Petrol Stop - Aston Martin in India by year-end

Aston Martin in India by year-end

Friday, 06 August 2010

06 August 2010:timesofindia.indiatimes.com:NEW DELHI: Aston Martin, the hot wheels seen in many James Bond thrillers, could soon be racing on Indian roads with the British carmaker finalising plans to launch its models by the year-end. The price would, however, be as hefty as the brand's rich legacy and could run up to a cool Rs 3 crore. Aston Martin is believed to have signed an agreement with Mumbai-based Infinity Cars, a dealer of BMW, and appointed it as the company's exclusive distributor for the Indian market. Bookings are expected to open from next week and it will take about five to six months for the deliveries to start. Aston Martin will initially sell four models — V8 Vantage, DB9, Rapide and DBS — and the prices are likely to be between Rs 1.35 crore and Rs 2.8 crore, without insurance and registration charges. Aston Martin is primarily a sports cars manufacturer. Established in 1914 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, the company was part of US car giant Ford from 1994 to 2007. In 2007, a joint venture company, headed by David Richards and co-owned by Investment Dar and Adeem Investment of Kuwait and English businessman John Sinders, acquired Aston Martin from Ford for a consideration of £479 million.