Aston Martin looks to banish recall misery with new special editions

LUXURY car maker Aston Martin will be looking to put its recent problems behind it as it prepares to launch two new special editions at the Geneva International Motor Show.

The manufacturer, now in its 101st year, is using the Swiss show to debut a new addition to its V8 Vantage range as well as a dramatic new version of its DB9.

While neither is a new product, the Warwickshire company will be hoping the launch can deflect attention away from the announcement it made earlier this month about recalling more than 17,000 cars because of a potentially defective part.

The Gaydon firm said the recall affected most of the cars it has manufactured since late 2007.

The recall follows the follows the discovery that a Chinese supplier was apparently using counterfeit plastic material in part of the accelerator pedal.

It will be keen to move on from this and it is why it is heavily promoting the launch of the V8 Vantage N430 and the DB7 Carbon.

The high performance N430 boasts enough power from its 4.7 litre V8 engine to propel the car to a top speed of 190mph, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.6 seconds.

Priced from £89,995, first deliveries of the new N430 are expected to begin in September this year.

The sinister-looking new DB9 Carbon Black includes a unique combination of lightweight carbon fibre features and its 6.0 litre V12 sees the grand tourer boast a top speed of 183mph.

The company has not disclosed pricing details except to say they are available on application to any of Aston Martin’s 147 dealers.

Showstoppers they might be but will they restore the lustre to the luxury brand?

Susan Hall, a partner in the Intellectual Property team at law firm Clarke Willmott, believes the company has its work cut out.

She said the announcement of the recall confirmed that the problem of fake designer goods was not limited to handbags.

“Counterfeiters will copy anything where there’s a chance of making a decent margin. Automobile parts are in fact a classic area for counterfeiting, which carries a real risk of serious injury or even death.  Garages that fit counterfeit parts, even if innocently done, also risk product liability claims,” she said.

“According to the Trading Standards Institute, police in Dubai arrested a gang planning to flood the UK market with 45,000 oil and fuel filters last year. These were counterfeited to look like genuine General Motors, Honda, Mazda and Toyota parts.
 
“The principal cost of counterfeiting is normally reckoned to be brand and reputational damage, especially where it involves brands as synonymous with luxury as Aston Martin. But the Aston Martin recall also shows how counterfeiting can give rise to massive direct costs too.”
 
She said short term savings gained by parts manufactured in low-cost countries – especially those with a history of counterfeiting problems and weak intellectual property laws – had proved a false economy for many companies.

“All businesses need to be on guard for counterfeiting risks, whatever their sector,” she said.
 
Though the risks are different for retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers, she said supply chain management was crucial.

“This may mean more investment up-front in sourcing components and monitoring suppliers, but it’s worth the cost,” she said.

Equally, she said firms had to be wary of any deals which seemed too good to be true as this may be an indication of counterfeit product.

“Rapid action needs to be taken on discovering a counterfeiting issues; brands in particular cannot afford to be seen as ‘soft touches’ for counterfeiters,” she added.