QOTD: Would You Live in Automotive-Branded Housing?

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

I got a press release from Aston Martin today about the opening of a high-rise condo building in Miami that bears the company's branding.

Of course, the 66-story, 391-unit building is opening in time for next week's Miami Grand Prix Forumla 1 race.


Apparently, 99 percent of the units are sold. There's just a handful left. So I have to ask -- would you move into a building just because it bears the name of a car company?

According to Aston, about 50 of the folks moving in are the owners of cars from the company.

What makes the building so, uh, Aston-like? Well, the press release has a lot of buzzy corporate speak about the design themes borrowing from the company's automotive efforts, but some of the specifics include the use of Aston Martin door handles and leather on some of the doors. There's also at least one Aston Martin logo visible in the images the company shared. Finally, there are three Aston Martin-inspired interior themes owners can choose from for their units.

Non-automotive amenities include a fitness center, art gallery, golf simulator, two movie theaters, business center, conference center, playroom for kids, spa, beauty salon, and barber shop.

There is also an infinity pool, bar, lounge, jacuzzis, cabanas, ballroom, and more.

Units offer between one and five bedrooms, and there are seven(!) penthouses with private pools and terraces. On of those penthouses occupies the top three stories and has 27,191 square feet of living space. That's not a typo.

Owners will have direct access to a "superyacht marina" and a 24/7 butler service.

So, I have to ask, if money were no object, would you live in a condo building branded with a car-company name? Would it make a difference if instead of a luxury brand, it was a mainstream brand and more affordable?

Sound off below.

[Image: Aston Martin]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Alan Alan on May 02, 2024

    I wonder if China has Great Wall condos?

  • Tassos Tassos on May 02, 2024

    Money IS no object for me, but I would NEVER live in such a LOSER building.


    The REAL Tassos.

  • MKizzy Even if the bulk of Malibu sales were to fleets, they were still a valuable source of modern affordable used vehicles for their second and third owners. With the most affordable GM and Ford vehicles powered by 3cyl turbos, used examples are more likely to be problematic. With the Escape also being dead if reports are true, the question is what comparable GM or Ford vehicles will fleet customers gravitate to post-Malibu? Will rental car agencies have to rethink their vehicle size categories as they're stuck purchasing lookalike compact CUVs.
  • AZFelix Sedans will continue to be replaced by CUVs and SUVs. The now omnipresent and bloated two-box shape will be considered 'normal' for passenger vehicles for current and future generations. The utility of the extra cargo volume of a CUV when compared to a three-box design may at times be questionable but they have some advantage. The embracing of the ease of entry and egress in CUV/SUVs by the elderly will likely morph into a disdain for the design by more youthful generations of buyers. What teenager wants to be caught driving a 'grandma' car? I suspect that this impression will lead to resurgence of trim and (comparatively) low slung sports wagons and hatchbacks in the near future. I look forward to their return.
  • MKizzy Sedans in general may make a comeback but only as BEVs and only if customers prioritize driving range over cargo flexibility. I think the moribund 2 and 3 door coupe and hatchback body styles also have a chance for a revival, even if they're in some oddly raised form, driven by falling birth rates and Gen Z/Alpha rejection of the CUVs they were ferried in as kids. Until then, the best case scenario for the ICE sedan market is it stabilizing as a few healthy-selling models much as the minivan market had done. Else, sedans will follow station wagons to become a boutique product sold only by a few luxury nameplates to affluent empty nesters or high earning households seeking second vehicles.
  • MRF 95 T-Bird Platfor Ms, be they for EVs or ICEs being flexible enough for different types of vehicles it’s not difficult for manufacturers to build sedans, as well coupes, convertibles and wagons as part of their product line.
  • Tassos There isn’t enough ivory and wood in this generation. EVERYONE KNOW STATUS WAS DETERMINED BY HOW MUCH WOOD THE INTERIOR OF CADILLAC HAS.
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