Driving the new Aston Martin DB9

An even sportier Aston, the V-8 Vantage coupe, is just around the corner. Deliveries of that vehicle, which will cost $100,000 to $110,000, will begin at the end of this year. In size and spirit, the Vantage will be Aston's primary weapon against Porsche. It was designed explicitly to challenge the 911.

The Vantage is also part of Aston's strategy to increase volume exponentially. In 2000, the company had 200 North American sales, then 400 in 2002 and 600 last year. This year, Aston expects to sell 1,250 cars in North America — the first time it will reach more than 1,000 sales here.

North America is not only Aston's fastest-growing market; it is also its largest, having recently surpassed Great Britain. In 2006, the company expects to sell 2,500 cars here — half of its global, annual sales target.

Both Walton and Bill Donnelly, Aston's North American president, declined to comment when asked if the brand is profitable.

Trying to get a handle on the other major issues facing Aston, we asked Walton what customers' main complaints about the cars are. Service seems to be the biggest problem.

“We're here,” he said, holding a hand up horizontally. Then, moving his other hand above it, he said, "We need to be here."

Aston's cars are built to order, and Walton said the dealers need to make servicing them “bespoke” in the same way. A customer who needs repairs should have to make only one phone call to the dealer, and should not get an answering machine when he or she calls. The dealer should be able to make any arrangement the customer wants (e.g., “Shall we pick up your car, or would you prefer to drop it off?”). The dealers aren't that good yet, and Walton said this keeps him awake at night — that and increasing the size of the business by 50 percent to 100 percent.

“We're well prepared to do this, but it's a challenge,” he said. “Name me another car company that's doubling its volumes year after year.”

Bez might not admit this in public, but frightening Porsche is also at the top of his list of personal goals — and Walton sees in Porsche things Aston could use. The German company, he said, has the advantages of loyalty and reliability. Customers know that buying a Porsche means the same thing, year after year, whereas Aston is in the midst of reinventing itself.

In fact, Walton hosted two events for Porsche owners in 2002, one at Aston's American headquarters in Irvine, Calif., and one in Connecticut. When customers examined the DB7, the DB9's predecessor, they offered such comments as "It's not a sports car in the way my Porsche is" and "Your styling is stunning, but your cars are not as up to date as Porsche's."

However, the customers — to a person — flipped when they saw a V-8 Vantage prototype. They all said they wanted one, according to Walton.

For Porsche customers, the top priority is quality, then good leasing rates, service and the knowledge that they can drive their Porsches every day. While Aston will tell you styling is its trump card, the brand's new, sportier cars show the influence of Porsche, perhaps because they show the heavy hand of Bez. After driving the DB9, we asked Walton how much of its steering feel was dictated by Bez.

“All of it,” he said.

While the V-8 Vantage will be a harder-core sports car, the DB9 for now points the way toward a sportier Aston Martin. The vehicle ingeniously straddles supreme performance with supreme comfort.

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