Aston Martin is pushing to expand its lineup, which the company’s CEO says will include new electrified vehicles.
Speaking to Autocar at the Nurburgring 24 Hours race, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer shared that he believes Aston Martin can expand its range to at least six or seven models in the coming years. “I see in our future obviously V12s, V8s and probably battery-electric cars,” said Palmer.
Recently, the company confirmed that the DBX crossover will be produced sometime after the arrival of the new DB11, which will replace the current DB9 sports car. While Palmer promises that V8 and V12 engines will remain for sports cars, he admits that Aston Martin hybrids are inevitable “simply because, car by car, you can only downsize so much. I’d rather put a hybrid in there than an in-line four cylinder.”
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Although Aston Martin doesn’t have any immediate plans for a hybrid, Palmer acknowledged that building just 7,000 vehicles a year isn’t a sustainable business model, which means expanding the lineup is a must for the brand. “Imagine something like a 4×4, 1000bhp silent Rapide. I think ‘Power, Beauty, Soul’ doesn’t say it has to be a gasoline engine. It just needs to be really powerful, really beautiful and set your heart on fire,” he said.
Palmer is working to set Aston on a winning path and one that won’t end in bankruptcy, a place the company has been seven times before. “The DBX and Lagonda are part of that solution, but we can’t afford the multi-billion-dollar bill to engineer to engineer all of the active safety-connected car and autonomous car regulatory things that are coming along,” he said. “However, having that strategic relationship and the 5% ownership with Daimler gives us access to that technology. It works for Daimler and it works for us.”
[Source: Autocar]
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