It is hard not to love Aston Martin. How can you not like something that is driven by none other than James Bond himself! The brand has produced some rad machines in the past and now it is all ready to join the fleet of brands switching to EVs. The British carmaker has announced that they will launch a pure electric sports car in the future. The sports car will touch the tarmac around 2026, according to some media reports.
Official statement
CEO and Chief Technical Officer Tobias Moers says “Being a small automaker, Aston Martin can be flexible and agile in meeting customer needs and does not have to make big broad pronouncements.” He further added that this is not to say the luxury brand is avoiding electrification. The 2024 Aston Martin Valhalla hybrid is on an important platform and is a stepping stone into electrification. The first pure EV must wait for the next-generation sports cars in 2026. “It’s very obvious we have to have the next-generation sports cars on a pure EV level. That’s clear,” Moers says
The timing is way off because Moers says the current sports car lineup will get a significant facelift by 2023 and they need a bit of time in the market to pay for themselves before they are replaced by models on a new electric sports car platform.
Aston Martin and electrification
CEO and Chief Tobias Moers said that the brand has focused on making a two-door sports car so the new EV will be similar. The Aston Martin DB11 was the first car launched as part of the automaker’s “second century” in 2016. The successor of the iconic DB11 will be pure EV.
Moers is keen on the world of EVs. In his previous job as the head of Mercedes-AMG, he pushed the performance brand to become electrified and says he will do the same thing at Aston. “It makes sense. We sell dreams and when you sell dreams, you have to consider the customer’s needs. You don’t need our cars for driving from A to B. It should be an aspirational interpretation of an electric drive in Aston Martin style.” The CEO is building an EV engineering team to lessen dependence on companies that supply key drivetrain components and batteries, such as Mercedes and Rimac. Moers wants to build in-house competence. “I feel that is important.” He adds.
ICE Will Live on!
Moers states that by 2030, at least half of Aston Martin’s portfolio will be fully electric. But as a niche player, the company does not have to make grand announcements or outline concrete plans. “We are flexible and can adjust to demand,” he says. Aston will offer plug-in hybrids in markets. And while the V-12 engine’s days are numbered. Understanding the auto enthusiast’s POV, Aston will continue to offer cars with gas engines as long as possible for enthusiasts. “There are still buyers who want a mid-engine, ICE-driven sports car.” He said.