Skip to main content

Agent 007’s car company is selling baby strollers, designer clothing, and yachts

2017 Aston Martin DB11 First Drive
Miles Branman/Digital Trends
Aston Martin sells cars, right? Well, yes it does, but now you can add Hackett clothing, fashion accessories, luggage, Aston eyeglass frames, and even Quintessence yachts to the list of luxury items the famed British automaker purveys, according to Bloomberg.

It’s not unusual for car companies to sell branded accessories, but in most cases the goods are limited to caps, shirts, key rings, and coffee cups. Porsche Design, a subsidiary of Porsche AG, is an exception that primarily sells sunglasses, watches, pens and other personal accessories. Aston-Martin, however, is reaching much wider in its range of offered goods. A common theme: luxury.

Luxury tops the list of several reasons Aston Martin has opened a brick and mortar store for a wide range of goods in London’s Mayfair district. The selection of items displayed in the store demand attention for their design, their attention to detail, and their price tags. Aston Martin wants you to associate the brand with luxury.

Profit can count for another good reason for the Aston Martin store and website. Whether you own or desire to own an Aston Martin vehicle, there’s an indelible panache associated with the brand from early and later James Bond films. Aston Martins were featured in Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall. And this does suggest that people will buy Aston Martin accessories, permitting the company to clear a tidy profit.

So you might never even ride in an Aston Martin, but you can carry a tan “coat wallet” that will set you back $270. Surely people will ask where you got it when they see its “striking electric blue leather lining” and you can off-handedly remark, “Oh, it’s an Aston Martin I picked up in Mayfair.”

And one additional reason for the Aston Martin store, of course, is to sell cars. Aston Martins are parked in front of the store and a $213,000 DB11 is currently displayed inside. You can view available Aston Martin leather and paint color choices at the store in hopes are you’ll be inspired to order your own car.

Aston Martin is seeking profitability by the end of 2018. To support that goal, you can stop by the Mayfair store to buy a handmade $20,000 alligator bag with a 24-karat Aston Martin wings medallion, a $4,000 Silver Cross baby stroller, or perhaps a nifty DB11. I’d like mine in steel gray, please.

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
Mercedes-Benz G580 first drive: old-school off-roader goes electric
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

American car buyers mostly know Mercedes-Benz as a luxury brand. But for decades, the automaker has also produced the tough, rugged G-Class (also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen), an SUV not afraid to get its leather upholstery muddy. And now, this iconic Mercedes is going electric.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — the final name of the SUV previously known as the EQG — isn’t the first electric off-roader. The Rivian R1S and R1T and GMC Hummer EV have proven that electric powertrains and off-roading are a great combination. But the electric G-Wagen is different because it’s based on an internal-combustion model — and a very traditional one at that.

Read more
Honda believes hydrogen semi trucks will make the case for fuel cells
Honda hydrogen fuel-cell semi truck.

Honda remains committed to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but the market for those vehicles remains limited. So Honda is looking at other uses for fuel cells -- including commercial trucks.

To show how that could work, Honda converted a semi truck to fuel-cell power, replacing its diesel engine with three fuel-cell modules. Together, the three modules produce a combined 321 horsepower, and can propel the truck to a top speed of 70 mph. There's enough onboard hydrogen storage capacity for a 400-mile range with a full load, Honda claims.

Read more
Mercedes-Benz G580 vs Rivian R2: Is the much cheaper Rivian actually better?
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

Mercedes-Benz has finally taken the wraps off of the new "Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology." Yeah, it's a mouthful, but it's basically a new electric G-Wagon. It looks a lot like the G-Wagon you know and love, but with an electric powertrain and a battery. It's not the only electric SUV out there, however, and there are some great ones -- like the Rivian R2.

Both the Mercedes G580 and the Rivian R2 have a lot going for them, but they also approach the electric SUV slightly differently. Is one better than the other? I put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The approach that the two vehicles take to design is quite different -- and you might like one better than the other.

Read more