Saved by the chavalry

Could be bad news for anybody who's just bought an Aston Martin, *ahem* you know who you are - Germany's weekly Autobild reports that French luxury-goods company LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA is set to buy Ford Motor Co.'s Aston Martin brand although it was reluctant to give its sources.

The U.S. automaker will retain a 15% stake in the European luxury brand, which is part of Ford's Premium Automotive Group, the report said. The report didn't elaborate on any financial details.

Can we expect every girl band who have recently been plucked from Tesco to sport matching Pink Vantages soon? If they can manage the brand as well as Louis Vuitton, soon every car supermarket in the land will be flooded with cheap Chinese knock-offs. Let's face it - when you see LV luggage you imediately think class.