Aston Martin has been living a constant "Groundhog Day" for several years. Its financial situation has been precarious, and for this reason, the design of its new models has been delayed. If it hadn't been for the technical assistance of AMG and the funding from Geely, its latest innovations wouldn't have materialized. Well, it seems the British firm is once again making a radical change with a future plan that should pull it out of the hole it's currently in…
As you know, the Gaydon-based company had planned a new range of electric vehicles . With them, they intended to position themselves at the forefront of technology and, incidentally, surpass their rivals Ferrari and McLaren. Well, it seems that the initial plans will not be executed within the anticipated timeframe. The reasons given for this slowdown are understandable at the moment, as the entire sector is experiencing turbulent times, but will it be enough to stay afloat?
The demand for pure electric vehicles is low and launching a car like this now would not be profitable...
Looking back at Aston Martin's recent news, several points stand out. First, when the new DBX was unveiled, they announced it would have a plug-in hybrid version . That was a couple of years ago, and we still haven't heard anything about it. Second, they were also planning to develop a new range of electric vehicles within the next five years, aiming for a fully electric model by 2030. But this hasn't materialized either…
If their plans had gone according to plan, Aston Martin's first all-electric model should have arrived in 2025. But it seems that won't be the case, as they've identified a number of market "problems" that wouldn't benefit this launch. As you know, sales of pure electric vehicles aren't strong, with figures falling far short of initial forecasts. Therefore, Aston Martin doesn't see launching such a model as profitable if there's no demand.
In the words of Lawrence Stroll, head of the brand…
" Consumer demand isn't what we thought it would be two years ago . We believe consumer demand isn't growing at the pace analysts and politicians anticipated. We also believe it will be there in the future; it's not going away. We just think there's a slight delay in the project."
Furthermore, when asked about the models they had been working on, he replied that…
"At this point, we are not prepared to reveal exactly what BEVs are ."
Therefore, we don't know what new models they have in store. Some time ago, there were rumors of a high-performance, all-wheel-drive GT in addition to the DBX Plug-In Hybrid . And it is precisely this DBX that could hold the key to the British manufacturer's survival…
Aston Martin will focus all its attention on hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models…
Indeed, hybrids and plug-in hybrids will be the cornerstone of Aston Martin's future. They are already working on the mid-engined Valhalla, equipped with AMG's electrified V8 engine . It should be ready by the end of this year, and according to the brand…
"What we feel is that there are people who still want some electrification to drive around town for several kilometers on electric power, but they still want the smell, feel, and sound of a sports car when they get on the highway. That's why we believe hybrid technology is going to have a very long life , particularly for a company like ours: it's about bringing excitement and thrill to the driving experience."
Therefore, Aston Martin will focus on hybrids and plug-in hybrids to remain competitive . Their plan to launch electric vehicles hasn't been canceled, but rather delayed by a year. Thus, their first electric vehicle is expected to arrive in 2026 as they continue with their plan. In fact, the platform they will use will remain valid well into the next decade. We'll have to wait and see…
Source – Autocar
