ASTON MARTIN UND PORSCHE Das sind die Luxusjachten der Autobauer

Premium brands also see themselves as design icons. In addition to sports cars, manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Porsche and AMG also rely on luxury yachts.
Düsseldorf The Silver Arrow, which Daimler presented in 2016, had nothing to do with the famous Mercedes racing cars. Because the Swabians advertised as “Silver Arrow of the Seas”: a yacht. Admittedly, this sounded more catchy than their actual name "Arrow460-Granturismo".

According to Mercedes, the 960 hp boat is said to have the proportions of an automobile. Only the price of the yacht, designed by Mercedes and built by the Monegasque boat manufacturer Silver Arrows Marine, is beyond all S-Classes - from 2.7 million euros.

Other premium manufacturers such as Bugatti, Aston Martin or Porsche Design are also on the maritime route. The activities on the water are of course only a secondary location for car manufacturers: "Sports boats are a niche market for car manufacturers," says industry expert Stefan Bratzel. They have little competence in the development of complete sports boats and therefore often cooperate with shipyards.

“With the small quantities, the effort is high and hardly pays off. The pleasure craft are more of a marketing idea, ”says Bratzel, who teaches as a professor of the automotive industry at the University of Applied Sciences in Economics (FHDW) in Bergisch Gladbach.
Premium manufacturers use water sports to present their brand. “The products have to be exclusive and belong to the luxury and high-end sector. Only then will the sport boat product shine on the vehicle brand, ”Bratzel explains the idea behind it.

Aston Martin, together with Quintessence Yachts, designed the AM37, an 11.10 meter long power boat. With the boat manufacturer Palmer Johnson, Bugatti is building the 20-meter-long Niniette 66, which is limited to 66 units. And the design studio F.A. Porsche, together with the yacht builder Dynamiq, launched the Gran Turismo Transatlantic 115. Price for the 35-meter giant yacht: from EUR 12.5 million.

Such a maneuver is by no means something for every car manufacturer. At the beginning of a cooperation, manufacturers would have to ask themselves whether the commitment would enhance their brand, said Bratzel. With Opel or Seat, luxury boats would certainly not fit the brand essence.
Luxury, on the other hand, suits Lexus. The premium subsidiary of Toyota has yachts built by the US shipyard Marquis Yachts. The almost 20-meter-long LY 650 with up to 2700 hp engines costs 3.7 to 4.7 million US dollars - that's around 3.3 to 4.3 million euros. Five to six boats are to be built each year.

Motors for cars and boats
Other companies have been at home on the water for a long time. The engine manufacturer Honda has been developing drives for boats for decades, as has Yamaha. Suzuki manufactures outboard motors. However, there is no closer connection to the automotive division here. This also applies to Volvo Penta. The Swedish manufacturer of marine engines only has the name in common with the car manufacturer.

Renault plans to use old batteries in its electric vehicles in ships in future and is cooperating with Seine Alliance, an operator of excursion boats in Paris. The latter plans to electrify its entire fleet by 2024. And not only Mercedes itself, but also its sporty offshoot builds boats: Mercedes-AMG cooperates with the US company Cigarette - a speedboat manufacturer.

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