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PRIVACY
Opinionopinion

Aston Martin's PR Machine: Licensed to Thrill?

Aston Martin said that exports from its º£½ÇÊÓÆµ plants (at Gaydon and St Athan) to Japan of its luxury sports cars will be worth over £400m over the next five years

Aston Martin production in Gaydon(Image: Max Earey)

News outlets have lapped up announcement of a "package of measures" that it claims will drive trade and investment between the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ and Japan by up to £500 million over the next five years.

The "investment programme" was announced by Aston Martin chief executive Andy Palmer during a visit to Japan as part of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ delegation accompanying

The latter is key, as the firm was able to generate positive news for our hapless PM and in so doing get itself lots of good PR - all without saying much new.

It was very welcome for the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ government, of course.

Mrs May was in Japan as the latter is in the final stages of a mega trade deal with the EU which the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ won't necessarily benefit from when it exits in 2019.

Mrs May basically wants the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ to get the same deal as the EU but can't actually negotiate anything at all yet with Japan. She needed a good news story and Aston obliged.

Aston Martin said that exports from its º£½ÇÊÓÆµ plants (in Gaydon and St Athan) to Japan of its luxury sports cars will be worth over £400 million over the next five years. That's great news for workers here of course - but I'm not sure it is actually "new" news.

Through its 'Second Century Strategy', the firm anyway aims to double sales by 2022 (and introduce seven new models in seven years).