An Aston Martin electric car, expected in 2025, will replace one of the automaker’s current front-engined sports cars, CEO Tobias Moers said in an interview with Automotive News Europe published Tuesday (subscription required).
The British automaker said in March that it was working on an electric sports car and electric crossover, with the sports car expected to hit the market in 2025. Moers confirmed that this model will be a direct replacement for one of Aston’s current sports cars, i.e. the DB11, DBS or Vantage.
The DB11 is the most likely candidate. It’s the oldest of the trio (launched in 2016) and is positioned as a more luxurious grand tourer, which means the added weight of a battery is easier to justify.
2019 Aston Martin DB11 AMR
The second electric vehicle is expected in 2026 and could be a variant of the current Aston Martin DBX crossover or a standalone model. Moers previously said a plug-in hybrid version of the DBX would hit the market in 2023.
Aston said in March that by 2030, 95% of its product line will be electrified (i.e. hybrid or all-electric), while keeping the remaining 5% pure gasoline-powered drives limited to rail use.
In the interview, Moers indicated that all Aston sports cars will eventually be electric, but maybe not for a while.
“The successor to our traditional sports segment must undoubtedly be fully electric,” said Moers, but noted that many of the current sports cars will survive longer than originally planned.
2020 Aston Martin Rapide E at the Formula E Monaco ePrix 2018/2019
Under former CEO Andy Palmer, who had extensive experience with Nissan electric vehicles, Aston attempted to introduce an electric version of its Rapide sedan as a first step towards electrification.
The Rapide E was due to hit the market in 2019, but was canceled just a few months before delivery. Aston had to find a new development partner in Williams Advanced Engineering after Faraday Future financier LeEco pulled out.
As a small independent automaker, Aston had fewer resources to develop electrified powertrains. An expanded partnership with Mercedes-Benz announced in 2020 will give Aston access to more shared components (it already uses Mercedes engines) and gives Mercedes a 20% stake in the British company.
