Aston Martin in October reached an agreement that will see it gain access to more technology from Mercedes-Benz, in exchange for Mercedes parent company Daimler increasing its stake in the company to about 20%, up from 2.6% at present.
Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers, who in his previous role was head of Mercedes-AMG, has shed some light on how the British automaker might end up utilizing some of the borrowed tech.
Speaking to Automotive News (subscription required) in an interview published Sunday, Moers said he's targeting annual sales of 10,000 units by 2024, with up to one fifth of these to be electrified cars. Aston Martin in 2019 sold about 5,800 units.
Aston Martin doesn't sell any electrified cars but Moers plans to add plug-in hybrid and battery-electric cars to the lineup, with help from Mercedes. These will include a plug-in hybrid version of the DBX SUV in 2023 and an EV in 2025 or 2026, Moers told Automotive News.
Moers' predecessor, Andy Palmer, planned to focus on mild-hybrid and EV technology, with the latter to be offered via a revival of fellow historic British marque Lagonda starting around 2022. Moers told Automotive News that Lagonda will be used for something else and that future EVs will be sold as Aston Martins. He also said the EVs will use Mercedes technology. A possibility is the new EVA platform that Mercedes has developed for high-end EVs. It debuts shortly in a Mercedes EQS sedan.
Interestingly, Moers also hinted in his interview that the V-6-based powertrain destined for the Valhalla hypercar, which uses an in-house-developed V-6 unveiled by Aston Martin in March, could be dropped in favor of a Mercedes powertrain. Moers said his team is still working on the powertrain for the Valhalla, meaning the car may miss its originally promised launch in 2022.
Aston Martin Valhalla and Vanquish Vision concept
The good news is that Moers remains determined to launch the new mid-engine Vanquish supercar after the Valhalla and said this car will also feature an electrified powertrain. Aston Martin previewed the new Vanquish with a stunning concept at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show.
Aston Martin was hit particularly hard by the slowdown caused by Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, though the automaker looks to be on the mend. It's reduced its workforce and brought in new management, and the new tech-sharing deal with Mercedes should save it considerable costs compared to having to develop the tech itself. The automaker also enters Formula One next year with the rebranding of the current Racing Point team, and with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel set to drive alongside Lance Stroll.
source: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1130154_aston-martin-confirms-ev-may-use-mercedes-powertrain-in-valhalla-hypercar
by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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