The surprising challenges facing Tobias Moers at Aston Martin

Before Tobias Moers jumped ship to Aston Martin from his job at AMG, he probably thought he had a decent grasp on the issues facing the venerable British manufacturer. Not so, it turns out.

The former head of Mercedes-Benz’s performance division has had his feet under the desk at Gaydon for roughly a year now, and he has revealed that things at the historic brand were rather dire upon his arrival.

“Some things were obviously fundamentally wrong,” Moers told our sister-publication, CAR.

“We were, for instance, wasting cash on a new V6. It did not even comply with EU7 regulations at a point in time when it was already clear that combustion powerplants will soon be a thing of the past.”

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In a bold move, that V6, set to be fitted to the mid-engined Valhalla and Vanquish models as part of Andy Palmer’s master plan, has now been scrapped entirely.

In the Valhalla, the hybridised Aston unit is being replaced by the M177/M178 twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 sourced from AMG.

It’s not just Valhalla that has caused frustration. The Valkyrie project that is set to be Aston’s flagship model is failing to meet Moers’ exacting standards.

“[It’s] so drastically over-budget that it now needs two more variants to pull it out of the red,” was his savagely frank assessment.

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Where performance enthusiasts will first see and feel Moers’ effect is in the bread and butter model ranges of Vantage, DB11, and DBS.

The Vantage is losing its manual transmission option, while all three will be updated significantly in their mid-life facelift.

“In addition to design changes and functional improvements, the interiors will be totally reworked with up-to-date connectivity, enhanced digitisation and new assistance systems,” Moers said.

“We’re also going to rethink the AMR sub-brand. The cars should be more dynamic in the way they look and drive.”

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Additionally, in the DB11 and DBS, the 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 engine is set to be tweaked, with a boost in power and a change in character from the edict above. Moers wants the engineers to shift from the current low-end torque focus, to one that delivers more punch higher in the rev range.

Also in the model pipeline are a hybrid, and performance ‘S’ variant, of the DBX SUV, before two new pure-electric sports cars are introduced in 2025. These EVs are being developed by Aston Martin, with backing and support from Moers’ former employer AMG – the two companies are continuing the relationship forged under Andy Palmer’s tenure.

The F1 edition Vantage is an indicator of Moer’s influence and direction, with its creation coming from the head honcho’s request for a more focused version of the brand’s entry-level sports car.

It also speaks to the brand’s new owner, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, and his passion for motorsport – something Moers says will be a larger, expanded part of Aston Martin’s brand identity in the near future.

“We have only just begun to explore the full halo effect of motor racing. Let’s face it: Lawrence Stroll is in Formula 1 to win the championship. It won’t happen this year, but the title is our ultimate goal,” Moers explained.

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Aston Martin cannot escape the hybrid and electric future that is being forced upon European manufacturers, with Moers confirming the V8 engine has a finite shelf life. However, this could prove to be a boon for Australian (along with American and Chinese) performance car fans.

“We have yet to define the end of these production runs, but once the strict EU7 emissions norm is in place, certain petrol-engine versions will only be eligible for export,” he explained.

In just 12 months Moers has done an impressive job in correcting Aston Martin’s path, bringing it back on course with a series of intelligent choices. While the brand isn’t out of the woods altogether – the Lagonda sub-brand has an uncertain future, and stock price volatility continues to be a nuisance – the positives of a V8 engine for Valhalla and some much-needed updates for the existing models should see Aston Martin find a sure footing as it charges into the its second century.