before I joined Aston Martin as CEO in 2014, a year or so earlier, Nissan, where I was COO at the time, had contemplated obtaining the British marque. For several reasons, the purchase never took off, however I was entrusted to a hefty amount of due diligence on the business, which proved vital as I mulled taking the top task some years later.
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From this due diligence, I quickly established Aston Martin needed to establish an SUV as a important element of the company’s survival. This was one of the non-negotiables that I provided to the board as I discussed handling the CEO position.
Aston Martin DBX vs Bentley Bentayga
The reason why I felt the requirement to have an SUV as part of the line-up was critical. It was because of market research study that showed 72 per cent of Aston Martin owners have one more brand’s SUV in their garage. This was a ready-made market for Aston Martin to operate in as well as it was an obvious location for the business to be.
On my third day at Aston, October 3 2014, I held a satisfying with my Head of style as well as I told him I desired an SUV crossover idea that would retain the Aston DNA as well as be called the DBX. The biggest difficulty was that I desired the design to be prepared for the 2015 Geneva motor Show, a simple six months away. The reason for that deadline was since Geneva is where I would outline my ‘Second Century Plan’ for the business as well as I desired the DBX as the backdrop, highlighting it as a cornerstone of Aston’s future.
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