At this point, even those living under the most obscure rock know that almost every automotive company – aside from Tesla it seems – took a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aston Martin was on the bad side of that too, with sales down some 64-percent in the first half of 2020 and a total revenue of just £146 million. The company’s plan to bounce back includes “rebalancing supply to demand” and reducing production of key sports car lines to focus more on the DBX SUV. Part of this profitability increase means cutting 500 jobs, but I also see a hidden message that says “give us more money.” Let me explain.

Aston Martin is Looking to Increase Exclusivity

When you consider the fact that the Aston Martin Vantage is the most “affordable” car you can get from the automaker at just $156,000 and the only car below the $200,000 threshold (aside from the $193,000 DVX), you would assume the brand is already pretty damn exclusive. I bet not too many of you reading this could comfortably afford one, and I know I sure couldn’t. But, if the company is going to stay in business, it needs to increase profitability and, while the company won’t come right out and say it, I’m willing to bet Aston Martin’s lineup will be a bit more expensive in the coming years. Why do I say that? Good question.

The truth is, folks, that the words “exclusivity” and “lower wholesale volumes” don’t exactly exude the concept of cheaper pricing, and those are the exact works we’re hearing come from Aston Martin. To be more specific, Aston Martin’s new chairman, Lawrence Stroll emphasized the brand’s plans for the future to Autocar:

To do that, however, the company feel sit needs to restore exclusivity and reduce production for most vehicles while focusing on the DBX SUV:

As I said before, you know that with exclusivity comes higher prices, and that’s wholeheartedly what I predict we’ll see from Aston Martin in the future. The DBX has a very good chance of being successful given the desire for high-dollar, luxury SUVs over cars, but would you be willing to pay more than $200,000 for a base, un-optioned Vantage? How about $310,000 for a Vanquish or $330,000 for a DBS? Well, if you’re in the upper percentage of people who can afford cars with these kinds of price tags, you might not have much of a choice.

The good news that comes out of this is that the company is under good leadership, and it’s certainly looking to stay on the map for a long time to come. So, Aston Martin will likely survive, but we could see higher prices, fewer sports cars, and a lot of other interesting developments in the future.