The collaboration between Daimler->ke187 and Aston Martin->ke13 hasn't come to fruition yet, at least as far as tangible products are concerned. All that is still a couple of years from now, which is a pretty long time from now.
What we do know for the time being is that the two brands are teaming up to build, among other things, a new wave of V-8 engines that will combine the two most important things for vehicles these days: performance and fuel efficiency. Aston wants a piece of that AMG->ke8 magic and why wouldn't it, right?
But as far as showing the world that Aston Martin will be "AMG-fied," Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche is putting the kaboosh on rumors that future Aston Martin models will be carrying the AMG badge. Apparently, at least according to Zetsche, it won't.
The Daimler boss man wants to keep the partnership as subtle as possibly, and any trace of visible AMG participation on those future Aston bad-boys isn't in line with all that subtle thinking. He believes that customers will ultimately link the two and won't need to be reminded that those V-8s under future Astons were co-developed by AMG. The connection will be organically figured out.
That's all well and good, but here's something we don't understand, though. Why not do it anyway, Mr. Zetsche? It's not like Mercedes and Aston are trying to keep the collaboration a secret. Wouldn't it also be beneficial from a novelty stand point -- even if it's just in the beginning -- to see all those Aston Martins with AMG logos on them?
One possible reason the two brands are trying to keep the partnership on the down-low is because they're still competitors in some key luxury->ke505 markets. That may be true, but that hasn't stopped sister companies like Audi->ke14 and Porsche->ke1 from being competitors too, even if both brands fall under the same Volkswagen->ke94 umbrella.
Ultimately, it's not our decision, and Zetsche has every right to decide on these things for his company. But it still would've been cool to see an AMG-badged Aston Martin.
Click past the jump to read about an Aston Martin that could have its own AMG V-8 engine in the future, the still-to-come Aston Martin Lagonda SUV.
Aston Martin unveiled the Lagonda SUV concept back in 2009, and since then the production version has seen its fair share of ups and downs. There were moments were the model was believed to be offered as an SUV, others as a sedan, while other times it was rumored it will never happen at all.
Still, Aston Martin said earlier this year that a possible Lagonda SUV could be the perfect way to boost sales on markets like China where large cars are a must. So, a production version Lagonda SUV should happen just in time for the 2016 model year.
Considering the new partnership we expect the Lagonda to be powered by this newly developed V-8 engine and not the rumored V-12 engine.