GAYDON, England – Aston Martin was “heavily penalized” by investors for last year’s software-related delay in starting production of its new DB12 sports car, Chairman Lawrence Stroll said.
Problems integrating Aston Martin-developed software into the first of the new front-engine sports cars last year caused a reduction in deliveries, which in turn caused the share price to sink to less than 2 pounds ($2.50) now from almost 4 pounds last summer.
“We got heavily penalized with our share price,” Stroll told journalists at an event at the company’s headquarters in Gaydon this month. “We are half what we were, for missing a few DB12s.”
Stroll said that Aston Martin had now overcome its software problems and was catching up on a backlog of DB12 orders.
“All the software problems are behind us,” he said.
The new infotainment software is a key element of Aston Martin’s overhaul of its three front-engine sports cars, including the DB12, the recently launched entry version of the Vantage and the replacement of the DBS flagship model, due later this year.
Aston Martin has also announced that the DBX SUV will receive a new interior with the updated touchscreen.
The cars use an electronic architecture and back-end software supplied by Mercedes-Benz as part of a long-standing partnership between the two companies. However, Aston Martin decided to build its own human machine interface (HMI) for the touchscreen to better differentiate ot from the system in Mercedes models.
“It was a big challenge for a small company like this to take on HMI challenges and redo the whole software program,” Stroll said. “We struggled like every other OEM struggled. I don't think it's unique to us to have software integration issues.”
Software problems have also delayed programs across the Volkswagen Group, including at Aston Martin rival Bentley.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark – who is due to take over as Aston Martin chief executive this year – cited software issues as one of the reasons for the delay of the new full-electric Bentley.
The battery-powered Bentley shares the premium platform electric (PPE) architecture with the full-electric Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 E-tron, both of which were delayed because of the slow rollout of the 1.2 software platform from VW Group’s Cariad division.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin expects no more delays when it comes to integrating its new software on subsequent models.
“It's the same one in DB12, same one in Vantage and the same one in [DBS replacement],” Stroll said. “So, you only have to go through that experience once.”
Aston Martin is only building the DB12 in the first half of 2024 as it prepares for the new versions of the latest Vantage, DBS replacement and updated DBX.
Stroll said he preferred to restrict sales rather than push older models.
“It’s potentially financially painful for us, but that is the right way to grow a luxury business,” he said. “We don't want to stuff the market with DBXs with the old interior.”
Aston Martin sold 2,939 DBXs last year, accounting for 44 percent of the brand’s total 6,620 sales for 2023, according to company figures.
Aston Martin expects to sell about 7,500 cars this year as production of the Vantage and DBX return in the second half. The company aims for sales of 10,000 by 2027, Stroll said.
