Perhaps it was a little premature for Dealscape to announce that "we called it" concerning the reports that couture brands would buy Ford's Aston Martin luxury car unit. New bidders are coming to the front of the line, who could beat LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault's group. One of the possible candidates knows the selling party very well, Jacques Nasser, the former chief executive of Ford who is now a partner at J.P. Morgan's private equity arm. Like Arnault, he reportedly is forming a group to submit a bid, The Telegraph reported. However, Arnault and Nasser are not the only bidders, just some of the higher profile ones. Rival London paper The Times reports that there are up to 30 possible bidders planning on pitching an offer to the struggling car maker suggesting the initial £500 million ($950 million) that surfaced with the Arnault story last month could easily reach £1 billion. Maybe the bidders are intrigued by Aston Martin's recent product placement in the latest James Bond film "Casino Royale."—Matthew Wurtzel
See story from The Telegraph
See story from The Times
See earlier Dealscape post
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