Investindustrial Now Leading in Aston Martin Sale

The purchase of is starting to become a horse race. First one side is leading, then the other. We first reported on this story last week Indian automaker Mahindra and MahindraMahindraIndia, 1944 > present12 models
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was the leading bidder to buy the English sports car maker. Now, it appears that former Ducati owner Investindustrial might be leading the pack. There is still no final deal; things can still change. 

Both sides are offering something that Aston Martin wants. Investindustrial has ties to MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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and is offering Aston Martin them Mercedes technology for future cars. Mahindra and Mahindra has deeper pockets and is offering Aston Martin a larger, immediate cash injection. 

Aston Martin has been valued at 1.21 billion (€936 million), but the exact value of the deal has not been publically revealed. 

Aston Martin has not been responding to any press inquiries about the sale. It sent out a letter to investors last week saying that it was close to sale. 

Investindustrial sold Ducati to Volkswagen Group earlier this year for $1.11 billion (€860 million). In comparison, Aston Martin's current owner Investment Dar is $4.9 billion (€3.79 billion) in debt. 

Aston Martin's sales have been down 20% to 2,520 cars through the first nine months of the year. 

Source: Automotive News Europe