Analysts: Japanese buyout of Aston Martin unlikely

Japan's cash-rich automakers are looking to expand, but they are unlikely to pursue a bid for Ford's Aston Martin, according to MarketWatch. Toyota is moving to grow its luxury Lexus brand, but "the categories (of the Lexus and Aston Martin) are totally different. It would be hard to expect synergy," said Tatsuya Mizuno at FitchRatings. "It would only add one more brand. That would be meaningless," he said. Meanwhile, Honda has been reluctant to expand via acquisitions since its 1990 purchase of a 25 percent stake in Rover produced disappointing results.