Aston Martin is reportedly in talks with several other automakers to collaborate on its first all-electric car.
The company last week announced a massive $1.2 billion plan to repay its debt, ramp up production and improve profits, as well as kick-start its electrification strategy.
A plug-in hybrid version of the DBX will arrive as the first Aston with a plug, along with with the 745kW Valhallabefore the pure EV lands in 2025. Aston aims to have a “fully electrified GT/sports and SUV portfolio” by 2030.
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Aston Martin’s first plug-in will be a PHEV version of the DBX SUV.
Knowing where the gains lie, the EV will likely be an SUV, but executive chairman Lawrence Stroll isn’t ruling out anything. “We are now literally defining the products we want to launch with and we expect to have an answer early next year.”
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That could extend to a halo supercar or hypercar, using a battery designed by new partner Britishvolt with goals of setting “new standards of repeatable track performance, charge time and range”.
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The Vision AMG concept could share its bones with a future Aston Martin EV.
Aston will also seek a platform partner who: Coach UK says includes Rimac and Lucid as well as Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes is the obvious candidate, the two companies have been working together for a number of years with the German who supplied the Briton with engines and infotainment systems. It also owns a 9.7% stake in Aston Martin, with further investments to follow.
It just stood out too its new AMG.EA architecture for dedicated use in a sports car, preceded by the Vision AMG concept. That car has already been given the go-ahead for a 2025 launch, and the new platform will feature a cell-to-chassis design that ties the battery into the chassis itself to lower the center of gravity — a similar concept to using an internal combustion engine. like a tense member, but without actually straining the battery cells.
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The Lucid production line. The Air is another potential candidate for an Aston Martin EV.
Another potential path for an EV platform is through the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which will exchange more than $150 million for a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin. The PIF also contributed to an investment package at McLaren earlier in 2022, but more importantly, US newbie’s main financier Lucid.
Stroll confirmed that discussions have been going on with Lucid for months, even though it offers just one car, the Air luxury sedan, with an SUV follow-up in development. Apparently it’s very good, so it’s easy to see why Aston would want to be a friend.
Finally, Stroll also mentioned Rimac during a press call, although he didn’t elaborate much more. Rimac, now half of Bugatti-Rimac, might find it difficult to mate with Aston Martin as it now technically falls under the Volkswagen banner. But stranger things have happened…
We should get more information about Aston Martin’s electrification plans in the near future as it aims to launch at least one EV by 2025, which isn’t that far off.