Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin have signed a letter of intent to enter into a partnership that will see Aston Martin cars getting AMG engines and Mercedes electrics and electronics.
All Aston Martins will still be made in Gaydon, UK but engines and other components will come from Mercedes, and its engine making subsidiary AMG. This should allow Aston Martin to invest in new model architecture rather than in developing engines and electronics, which are becoming increasingly complex and expensive.
Whether the supply items will be bespoke or off the shelf AMG and Mercedes units remains to be seen but, still, the thought of AMG 5.5 or 6.2 litre V8s in Aston Martins is tantalising. Hopefully the 2 litre AMG engine seen in the A 45 AMG won't find its way into Aston Martins though.
The deal should give Aston a boost, as the VW/Bentley and BMW/Rolls Royce tie-ups did. And, as Rolls and Bentley have demonstrated, having German engines hasn't diminished their Britishness.
Quotes from both parties:
Ola Källenius, Head of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “We are proud to work with Aston Martin and provide them with powertrain and e/e components for their forthcoming sports cars. This is proof of AMG’s technological and performance expertise and a real win-win situation for both sides.”
Aston Martin Product Development Director Ian Minards said: “We have selected AMG specifically as the basis for this powertrain development process. Aston Martin sources cutting edge technology from key suppliers around the globe and the opportunity to include content from Mercedes-AMG GmbH in our next generation sports cars is, clearly, good news.”