Aston Martin.
The British grand-tourer convention, refined for the modern era.
What is Aston Martin today?
Aston Martin is a British luxury sports-car and grand-tourer marque founded in 1913 and headquartered in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The current lineup runs from DB12 through Vantage, DBX707, and the V12-flagship Vanquish. Valhalla and Valkyrie hypercars are reaching customers through 2025-2026.
Who owns Aston Martin?
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings has operated under a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium since 2020, with Stroll as Executive Chairman. Significant minority stakes are held by Mercedes-Benz (~9%), Geely Group, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The company is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. Stroll's consortium drove the post-2020 capital restructuring.
What does Aston Martin ownership cost?
Aston Martin ownership runs $4,500-$8,000 annually for service. Tires cost $2,800-$4,500 per set. First-year depreciation on Vantage and DB12 runs 25-35% — among the steepest in segment. The DBX707 follows more conventional luxury-SUV curves. Limited-edition cars (V12 Vantage Roadster, Valour) hold value better than the volume lineup.
Where do you buy an Aston Martin?
Aston Martin sells through approximately 35 authorized US dealers, with concentration in coastal and southwestern metros. The dealer network was meaningfully restructured under the post-2020 consortium. Aston Martin Assured CPO covers two-to-six-year-old cars with factory warranty. Bespoke Q by Aston Martin commissions route through dealers but are increasingly customer-direct.
Should you buy a new or pre-owned Aston Martin?
For first-time Aston Martin buyers, three-to-five-year-old DB11 or Vantage examples are the editorial sweet spot. Initial depreciation has happened, the AMG-supplied V8 is well-understood, and CPO extends factory coverage. Avoid first-year examples of any platform. The DBX707 holds value better than the front-engine sports-car lineup.
History
Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded the company in 1913, with the marque name combining Martin's surname and the Aston Hill hillclimb where Martin had raced. Production was sporadic through the inter-war years and the company moved through multiple ownership groups before David Brown's acquisition in 1947 — the source of the "DB" prefix that has anchored the grand-tourer line ever since. The DB5, made famous by its 1964 Goldfinger appearance, established the marque's long association with the James Bond franchise.
Through the second half of the 20th century the company moved through several ownership transitions — Ford from 1987 to 2007, then a Kuwaiti-Italian consortium led by David Richards, then Investindustrial. Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2018 at a valuation that subsequently proved well above the company's commercial reality; the Lawrence Stroll-led Yew Tree Consortium took control through a recapitalization in early 2020 and has run the company since.
The Stroll era has been characterized by lineup discipline (the DB11 → DB12, the previous-generation Vantage → 2024 Vantage, the DBX → DBX707, the V12 Vanquish returning in 2024), a formal technical partnership with Mercedes-AMG (engines, electrical architecture, infotainment), and the launch of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team. The Valkyrie hypercar program — a mid-engine, naturally-aspirated V12-hybrid built in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies — entered customer delivery through 2022-2024.
Positioning
Aston Martin sits as the British counterpoint to the Italian volume marques — grand-tourer-leaning rather than supercar-leaning, with a product strategy built around the DB-line front-engine GTs (DB12, Vanquish), the smaller-and-sharper Vantage, the DBX SUV, and the limited-production hypercars (Valkyrie, Valhalla). The marque's commercial center of gravity is in the GT and SUV segments; the supercar and hypercar segments operate as halo and technical-demonstration programs.
The Mercedes-AMG technical partnership is structurally meaningful. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 at the heart of the DB12, Vantage, and DBX707 is an AMG-derived engine modified for Aston-specific calibration and packaging, and the electrical architecture and infotainment system are AMG-platform. The V12 (in the Vanquish and the Valkyrie) is Cosworth-supplied and developed in-house. Both facts are publicly disclosed by the manufacturer and material to the buying conversation.
Current lineup
DB12 / DB12 Volante
The grand-tourer flagship of the volume lineup.
The DB12 launched in 2023 as the DB11's successor — twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter AMG-derived V8, eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, two-plus-two grand-tourer configuration. The Volante is the convertible. The DB12 is the volume car of the Aston lineup and the most usable Aston Martin in daily-driver terms — typical Marque coverage frames it as the editorial sweet spot of the range.
Vantage (2024)
The sharp end — sports-car-oriented, shorter wheelbase, more aggressive specification.
The 2024 Vantage refresh is built on the same fundamental architecture as the DB12 but with a shorter wheelbase, more aggressive aerodynamic and chassis specification, and a higher-output version of the AMG-derived V8. Available as a coupe; the convertible (Vantage Roadster) follows. The Vantage is positioned squarely against the 911 Turbo S and the McLaren GTS in the segment.
Vanquish (2024)
The V12 flagship — the marque's commitment to the naturally-aspirated front-engine V12 GT.
The Vanquish nameplate returned in 2024 as the V12 flagship of the lineup — a twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12, longer-wheelbase grand-tourer specification. It sits above the DB12 in price and below the Valkyrie. Production volumes are deliberately constrained relative to the DB12 and the Vantage; Vanquish allocation is meaningfully tighter than the rest of the volume lineup.
DBX707
The luxury SUV — the AMG-derived V8 in the most performance-focused specification.
The DBX707 is the higher-output version of the DBX SUV (the standard-output DBX has been discontinued in favor of the 707 across most markets). It uses the same fundamental AMG-derived V8 powertrain as the DB12 and Vantage in a higher-output specification. The DBX707 is the marque's commercial answer to the Bentayga, Cullinan, Urus, and Purosangue — and is editorially the most directly cross-shopped car in the Aston lineup.
Valhalla
The mid-engine hybrid hypercar — the marque's technical-demonstration platform.
The Valhalla is a mid-engine, twin-turbo V8 hybrid hypercar — the production successor to the AM-RB 003 concept and a meaningfully more attainable platform than the Valkyrie. First customer deliveries are running through 2025-2026. The Valhalla is the marque's clearest commitment to mid-engine hypercar production beyond the limited-volume Valkyrie.
Valkyrie / Valkyrie AMR Pro
The naturally-aspirated V12 hypercar developed with Red Bull Advanced Technologies.
The Valkyrie is a Cosworth-supplied 6.5-liter naturally-aspirated V12 with a hybrid system, a carbon-fiber monocoque, and aerodynamics developed by Adrian Newey's team at Red Bull Advanced Technologies. Production was limited to roughly 150 road cars plus 25 AMR Pro track-only variants and 25 Valkyrie Spider examples. Customer deliveries ran through 2022-2024 and the program is essentially closed at this point.
Aston Martin press gallery
Ownership reality
Aston Martin ownership economics historically include sharper depreciation than the equivalent Ferrari or Porsche specification. Standard-lineup cars (DB12, Vantage, DBX707) typically depreciate 35-50% over the first three years; the V12 Vanquish and the Valkyrie/Valhalla program are different conversations entirely. The depreciation curve has historically been the marque's pre-owned-buyer opportunity — three-to-five-year-old DBs and Vantages frequently sit at meaningful discounts to the equivalent specification on a Porsche or Mercedes-AMG.
Annual service intervals are 12 months or 10,000 miles for the DB12 and Vantage. Aston Martin's included-service window (Aston Martin Service Plan) typically covers a defined three-year window from new-car purchase, with extended programs available at point of purchase or from a CPO dealer. Out-of-warranty service runs $1,200-$3,500 per visit at an authorized dealer for the standard lineup; the V12 Vanquish service costs run materially higher.
Insurance for a DB12 or DBX707 in a major US metro typically runs $3,500-$8,000 annually depending on driver profile and storage. The Vantage profile is similar. The V12 Vanquish and the limited-production hypercars are typically on agreed-value collector policies (Hagerty, Chubb) rather than standard market-value coverage — a meaningful cost-and-coverage difference relative to the volume lineup.
The Mercedes-AMG technical partnership has a quiet implication for ownership: routine service items on the V8 lineup (oil, filters, certain consumables) overlap meaningfully with the Mercedes-AMG parts catalog. A specialist independent shop with AMG depth often handles V8 Aston routine service competently and at a meaningfully lower labor rate than the authorized dealer.
Dealer landscape
Aston Martin operates roughly 35-40 authorized dealers in the United States, with the network running through both stand-alone Aston dealerships and dual-marque arrangements (typically with another European luxury franchise). The dealer footprint covers Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and several secondary metros where the marque has historical depth (Naples, Greenwich, Scottsdale).
Specialist independent service for older Aston Martin cars (the V8 Vantage of the late 2000s, the early DB9, the original Vanquish) is meaningful in the same metros, particularly for cars that pre-date the AMG technical partnership. For the modern AMG-platform cars (DB11/12, Vantage, DBX), authorized-dealer service while the car is in warranty is the right path; out-of-warranty service can be handled by an independent shop with AMG and Aston experience without compromising the car's service record.
Buying advice
For new-vehicle buyers, allocation on the DB12, Vantage, and DBX707 is generally achievable through any authorized dealer; the Vanquish is the constrained slot in the volume lineup, with order-book lead times that vary by dealer and specification. The Valhalla and Valkyrie programs are existing-customer-priority and not retail conversations — first-time Aston buyers typically enter the marque through a DB12, Vantage, or DBX707 specification.
For CPO buyers, the Aston Martin Timeless program covers cars up to a defined age and mileage and includes a 24-month warranty extension plus a manufacturer-mandated reconditioning standard. Timeless cars sit at a meaningful premium over private-party pre-owned, but the warranty extension on a V8 or V12 Aston Martin — particularly given the marque's historical depreciation curve — typically pencils out for buyers in the three-to-six-year-old window.
For pre-owned buyers, the editorial sweet spot on the DB-line is a three-to-four-year-old DB11 V8 (the AMG-derived engine, the quieter twin-turbo grand-tourer signature) with documented service history and a sensible factory specification. The DB11 V12 carries a premium reflecting the cost of V12 service. On the Vantage line, the 2018-2023 Vantage trades at meaningful discounts to MSRP and represents the most accessible entry point to the modern marque.
For collector-grade interest, the V12 Vantage S and the V12 Speedster (limited-production, no-roof) sit at the top of the recent collectible curve. The original V12 Vanquish (Ford-era, 2001-2007) and the One-77 are the long-term collector pieces; both are thinly-traded and dealer-relationship territory rather than retail. The Valkyrie program will sit in a market of its own as deliveries finish out and secondary trading establishes a price baseline.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Aston Martin?
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. The largest shareholder block is the Yew Tree Consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, with significant minority stakes held by Mercedes-Benz, Geely, and the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Stroll has served as executive chairman since the 2020 recapitalization.
What is the Mercedes-AMG technical partnership?
A formal technology-supply partnership: Aston Martin sources the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 (used in the DB12, Vantage, and DBX707) from Mercedes-AMG, and uses AMG's electrical architecture and infotainment platform across the modern volume lineup. The engines are recalibrated and re-packaged for Aston-specific applications. The V12 in the Vanquish and the Valkyrie is Cosworth-supplied and developed in-house, not AMG-derived.
How does Aston Martin allocation compare to Ferrari?
Meaningfully more open on the volume lineup, comparable on the limited-production cars. DB12, Vantage, and DBX707 allocation is generally achievable for first-time buyers through any authorized dealer; Vanquish allocation is tighter. The Valkyrie program is closed to new orders and the Valhalla operates on existing-customer-priority allocation in the same way Ferrari's Special Series cars do.
Why does Aston Martin depreciate more than Ferrari or Porsche?
Two structural reasons. First, the volume lineup historically prices closer to the Mercedes-AMG GT and BMW M8 than to the equivalent Ferrari, and the segment Aston competes in has more direct comparison points and faster discounting. Second, the marque has historically operated with less inventory discipline than Ferrari, and certain specifications have been built in higher volumes than the secondary market absorbs at MSRP. The Stroll era has been more disciplined; the depreciation curve on 2023+ cars may track closer to the segment median.
Is the DBX707 a real Aston Martin?
Editorially, yes — it is built at the marque's St Athan, Wales facility, carries the AMG-derived V8 in Aston-specific calibration, and uses the same fundamental electrical architecture and chassis tuning philosophy as the DB12. It also shares some platform and powertrain characteristics with the AMG GLE 63 in the broader luxury-SUV segment. Both facts are accurate and publicly disclosed.
Where are Aston Martins built?
The DB12, Vantage, Vanquish, and the limited-production hypercar programs are built at the Gaydon, Warwickshire facility — Aston Martin's primary production site since 2003. The DBX and DBX707 are built at the St Athan, Wales facility, which opened in 2019 specifically for SUV production. The V8 engines are sourced from Mercedes-AMG's Affalterbach engine plant; the V12 is Cosworth-built in Northampton.