Toyota GM Denies Bid for Aston Martin
It’s no secret; Toyota is buddy-buddy with British luxury automaker Aston Martin. The two firms have collaborated before, perhaps most famously the iQ-based Cygnet city car, and the latest gossip indicates is the “capital T” is interested in buying Aston.
A recent Bloomberg report indicated that Toyota has already begun an investigation into whether or not to buy a stake in the luxury British automaker; though according to Toyota Division General Manager Bill Fay, no such action has been taken – at least to his knowledge. Speaking to AutoGuide at a recent Detroit-area ride-and-drive event for the all-new Avalon Hybrid earlier this week Fay gave a flat denial on the topic of a potential acquisition of Aston Martin. “[I] don’t know anything about it,” he said.
Fay isn’t the only one quiet on the subject either, with Aston Martin sources also commenting that the brand is not for sale.
Still, various other goings-on seem to indicate the two automakers are getting snuggly. Last year their two CEOs swapped rides at the Nürburgring during the VLN series race. Akio Toyoda snagged Ulrich Bez’s V12 Zagato in exchange for seat time in a race-prepared Lexus LFA.
Additionally, reports indicate Aston Martin has taken a liking to Toyota’s larger V8 engines and possibly the hellacious Yamaha-built V10 in the LFA. These powerplants could be more fuel-efficient than the English automaker’s big, honkin’ V12.
Of course all of this is pure speculation but the tea leaves do appear to be telling us something. It wouldn’t be a shock if Aston became a member of the Toyota family in the not-too-distant future.
Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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