Louis Vuitton to acquire Aston Martin

French luxury goods maker LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA -- better known as just Louis Vuitton -- has won an auction to acquire Aston Martin from Ford, according to a German news report.





The news will appear in weekly auto magazine Autobild tomorrow, according to MarketWatch, which obtained an advance copy of the article. The Autobild report cites well-placed but anonymous sources.

Earlier this week, bidding ended for Aston Martin, which has been up for "auction" since August. Ford is selling the successful sports car company in order to raise much-needed capital.

Ford will retain a 15 percent stake in the company, according to the report. No details on the sale price were given, but a report by Britain's Sunday Times in December put valuation as high as $1.2 billion.