Actually the problem is that the worlds’ wealthiest are still buying Ferraris. But my (admittedly snarky) point still stands. The cheapest Aston Martin one can buy — the V8 Vantage — will ding your pocket to the tune of $119,000. That’s a bit more than half of what the average American home sells for. Add $50,000 to that for the DB9 and another $100k for the range topping DBS. Er, unless you count the terribly exclusive One-77 and it’s painful to rationalize $1.8 million price tag. Which is a bit more than your average helicopter. Here’s the problem: the auto market is contracting and there aren’t going to be as many folks who can afford cars like Astons in the future. So just like Jaguar is contemplating, Am CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez wants to move the brand up the stream. That way you sell less cars, but they cost more, and your bottom line stays just as robust as it has been for the past several years. And by pricing the V8 like the F430 and the V12 motivated DB9 like the 599 Aston won’t be leaving any cash on the table. Plus, the upcoming Lagonda revival could maybe hoover up some of the low end gap. At least so goes the thinking. Also on the table is the possibility of realizing that the V8 and DB9 are pretty much the same car (kinda) and replacing both models with a mid-engined Ferrari/Lamborghini fighter. Though, speaking for my inner anglophile, I really hope they don’t do that. As always, only time, the success of the Rapide and how many cars Aston can sell to the Russians and Chinese, will tell.