Aston Martin may not have had any big product news at the Paris auto show — its upcoming Lagonda super sedan has been as overhyped as Kim Kardashian’s sex tape and the Carbon but a tarted up version of the Vanquish — but it made news nonetheless by crowning its first new CEO in 14 years.
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Andy Palmer, an industry stalwart with 35 years in the biz, took the helm from Ulrich Bez whose tenure saw Aston Martin grow from a niche player to producing more than 7,000 units a year. Named the automotive industry’s most influential British executive in 2012, Mr. Palmer is just the latest defection from Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn’s coterie, joining Johan de Nysschen (off to Cadillac) and Carlos Tavares who left Nissan/Renault to head up rival Peugeot Citroen.
Nissan’s Andy Palmer is now the CEO of Aston Martin.
Handout, Aston Martin
“A number of very capable guys are leaving Nissan,” Koji Endo, a Tokyo-based auto analyst at Advanced Research Japan., told Bloomberg News. “The situation doesn’t really seem to be encouraging.”
But things are looking up at Aston Martin. Along with the much-hyped Lagonda, the legendary British supercar maker, trotted out yet another version of the Vanquish, this one dubbed the Carbon, adding a carbon fibre roof, side strakes and a special machined carbon winged emblem to letter everyone know just how very special your particular Aston Martin really is.
The Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon Edition.
Handout, Aston Martin
Under the hood, the Carbon is powered by the company’s famed 6.0-ltre V12, good in this guise for 569 horsepower and a top speed of 322 km/h. Not the biggest of news for Aston Martin, perhaps, but certainly less controversial than Nissan’s.
