Aston Martin Cutting Rapide Production by 50 Percent as Demand Weakens

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Aston Martin is cutting production of its five-door Rapide by as much as 50 percent due to a lack of demand. In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said that this was always the company’s intention: “Rapide had a higher than normal initial production rate to get through the launch phase and ensure delivery of cars to the dealers. After this initial period, it has settled at the expected rate.”

The original annual sales target for the Rapide was between 2000 and 2500 units globally, but sources now say that the company will build many fewer—perhaps as small a number as 1200. (In contrast, the Porsche Panamera is on pace to sell more than 7000 units this year in the United States alone. Yes, it’s cheaper than the Aston in all its myriad forms, but it’s also better: the Panamera Turbo beat the Rapide in a comparison test.) The Gaydon, United Kingdom–based company recently announced that production of the Rapide, which went on sale in early 2010, would be moving from Magna Steyr’s Austria facility back to Great Britain. We suspect that Aston’s execs weren’t compelled to renew the contract with Magna in part because the volume of cars needed is so low.

This news highlights how difficult it is even for well-known brands to sell high-end exotic sports cars. Lexus has also struggled to shift the LFA sports car, which costs $375,000, while even Ferrari has had some difficulty moving its 599 line. We expect Aston’s business is being watched closely by management at McLaren—which is on the cusp of opening a 19-dealer network around the world to sell its new MP4-12C—and Lotus, which is attempting a very ambitious launch of several new products, including a Rapide-esque sedan to be called the Eterne.

Fortunately for the Rapide, there may be a little fuel to add to the sales fire. Our spy photographers recently caught a more-powerful Rapide S while testing, which should pack the 510-hp V-12 engine from the Aston Martin DBS. Aston won’t be able to count on the new powertrain to drive another thousand customers into Aston showrooms, but it may reignite some interest in the sedan.

Justin Berkowitz 22 Jun, 2011

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Source: http://blog.caranddriver.com/aston-martin-cutting-rapide-production-by-50-percent-as-demand-weakens/
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