Who owns Aston Martin?

Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings, aka Aston Martin, is a British automaker based in London, UK, specializing in luxury sports cars and grand tourers. The company was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. They produced their first Aston Martin car in Mar 1915.

Since its founding, Aston Martin has survived seven bankruptcies. Its ownership has changed hands several times. In 2022, Aston Martin sold 6,400 cars. However, its losses more than doubled after the sports car maker invested heavily in new models. The company predicted sales of 7,000 vehicles in 2023. [1]

Aston Martin is one of the world’s longest-standing sports car makers. The company turned 110 in 2023. In late 2018, Aston Martin went public via IPO and started trading on the London Stock Exchange. However, the automaker has struggled to turn around since its overambitious LSE listing. In mid-2023, Aston Martin began delivering its next-gen DB12 sports car after supplier readiness and integration issues delayed production. The company lowered its 2023 sales prediction from 7,000 vehicles to 6,700 units. [2]

Aston Martin is an ultra-luxury high-performance brand. The British automaker is known for its high-end sport and GT cars and SUVs, including the Vantage, DB11, DBS, DBX, and the Aston Martin Valkyrie. The brand produces and exports cars to around 54 countries globally. In Jan 2023, Aston Martin revealed the new DBS 770 Ultimate. This luxury high-performance car costs £314,000. [3]

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Who is Aston Martin’s Parent Company?

Aston Martin’s parent company is Aston Martin Lagonda Group Limited. The group was founded in 1947 by former Aston Martin owner David Brown. Brown bought Lagonda from W Bentley and merged it with Aston Martin to create the Aston Martin-Lagonda Group. Bentley developed the Lagonda 2.6 liter tourer with a Bentley-designed six-cylinder engine. The engine enticed Brown because it suited sports car models. In 1950, Aston Martin unveiled the DB2 fitted with the unit from Lagonda.

Aston Martin’s parent company has interests beyond sports car manufacturing. Its portfolio includes Aston Martin Racing and Aston Martin Works. In 2021, Lawrence Stroll acquired a stake in Aston Martin and rebranded his Racing Point F1 team to Aston Martin Racing.

The Canadian billionaire invested £1.5 billion to build a new Aston Martin F1 factory and upgrade the team’s Silverstone headquarters. Aston Martin Racing won eight podium finishes in 2023 F1 season. [4]

Aston Martin Works specializes in heritage sales, service, spares, and restorations. Its team works from a 3.6-acre facility in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. Aston Martin produces sports cars and grand tourers in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, and St Athan, Wales.

In Jun 2023, Aston Martin partnered with Lucid on a £182 million manufacturing venture. The companies plan to start producing ultra-luxury high-performance EVs from 2025. Aston Martin will give Lucid a 3.7% stake in its business as part of the deal. [5]

Aston Martin’s Ownership History

Aston Martin’s ownership has changed hands several times. Martin and Bamford founded Aston Martin and produced long-chassis and short-chassis cars before bankruptcy hit in 1925. Bertelli and Bill Renwick acquired the company’s remnants from Martin. Then, the company was owned by Gordon Sutherland, who sold it to David Brown in 1947.

Brown merged Aston Martin with Lagonda and introduced new models, including DBS. He sold Aston Martin to Company Developments in 1972. Aston Martin went bankrupt again in 1974 and was placed in receivership. The company was sold to a consortium, restructured, and reopened as Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd in Sep 1975.

Aston Martin’s successes in the 1980s attracted investors. Victor Gauntlett and Tim Hearley acquired a 10% stake in the company. They increased their shares to 50% in 1981 to become the majority shareholders. Ford bought a 75% interest in Aston Martin a year later and the remaining 25% in 1990 to take over the company. David Richards and his backers acquired Aston Martin from Ford for £475million. [6]

Italian Investindustrial acquired a 37.5% stake in Aston Martin in Dec 2012 and invested £150 million in capital. The British luxury carmaker went public in Oct 2018 on the LSE. The IPO handed the company’s ownership to institutional, private, and public investors.

The IPO didn’t address all Aston Martin’s financial woes. In Jan 2020, Canadian investor Lawrence Stroll led the Yew Tree Consortium to rescue the struggling luxury carmaker. The consortium paid £182 million for a 16.7% stake and the executive Chairman position for Stroll. [7]

Stroll is Aston Martin Racing’s largest shareholder. In Nov 2023, the Canadian billionaire sold a minority stake in the Aston Martin F1 team to Arctos Partners. The deal values the F1 team at around $1.2 billion. Stroll’s son, Lance, drives for Aston Martin with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. [8]

Aston Martin’s Shareholder Structure

Aston Martin’s shareholders hold 823,663,785 shares and 365,932,051 free-float shares. As of Dec 2023, the company’s top holders controlled 31.78% of the shares. The shareholder structure includes institutional, public, and private investors like Chairman Lawrence Stroll and Saudi’s Public Investment Fund. [9]

Chairman Lawrence Stroll’s Yew Tree Consortium is Aston Martin’s largest stakeholder. In Sep 2023, Yew Tree increased its stake in Aston Martin by 3.27% to 26.23%. This figure represents an additional 26 million ordinary shares of the company. [10]

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is Aston Martin’s second-largest shareholder. In Nov 2023, Saudi’s PIF increased its stake in Aston Martin from 17.9% to 20.5%. The fund awarded the new shares to electric car maker Lucid Group. The move came after Lucid and Aston Martin agreed in June 2023 to establish a strategic technology partnership. After becoming a shareholder in Aston Martin, Lucid will allow the British car maker to use and invest in its EV power train and battery systems. [11]

Chinese automaker Geely held 7.6% of shares in Aston Martin as of Sep 2022. In May 2023, Geely increased its stake to 17%. Geely is now the third-largest shareholder after Yew Tree and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The Chinese automaker invested about $290 million to receive existing and new shares from Aston Martin. [12]

Aston Martin has a strategic technology partnership with Mercedes-Benz Group. In Dec 2013, Aston Martin gave a 5% stake in its business to Mercedes-Benz to access next-gen engines for its cars. DB11 was the first Aston Martin model to use the Mercedes-Benz technology. As of Feb 2023, Mercedes-Benz was Aston Martin’s fourth-largest shareholder, with 8.902% of the shares. Other top shareholders include Invesco, Union Bancaire, Norges Bank, The Vanguard Group, UBS, Investec, BlackRock, and Baillie Gifford & Co. [13]

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