Aston Martin is considering fitting both the DB12 and Vantage with plug-in hybrid powertrains – but it won’t do the same with the new Vanquish.
Aston has confirmed plans to use PHEVs as a transitional technology on its way to pure electrification, having pushed back its first EV in light of wavering demand for battery-powered sports cars.
Its first PHEV, the new Valhalla supercar, is due later this year with an electrified V8 engine from powertrain supplier Mercedes-AMG.
When asked about the possibility of the DB12 and Vantage following suit with PHEV power, Aston engineering boss Simon Newton said: “We have an open mind in all technologies right now.”
Notably, both of those cars already use the 4.0-litre V8 that’s at the heart of AMG’s range-topping PHEVs.
But when asked about the Vanquish – which was revealed this week with a thunderous 824bhp, 5.2-litre V12 – doing the same, Newton told Autocar the V12 “defines the car”, adding: “What we picked [in the V12] improves the recipe. We haven’t paid the weight penalty. It’s a very analogue but highly sophisticated experience, and that’s what we wanted.”
Product boss Alex Long added: “V12 power compared with PHEV power is not the same. If you’re going to put a weight penalty in, you might as well have a decent [electric-only] range, which just can’t be offered at this time.”
Explaining the company’s shift toward plug-in hybrids in February, Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll said its future EVs were “not going away” but there was “a slight delay”.
“We believe that the consumer demand [for EVs] is not at the pace that analysts and politicians thought,” Stroll said.
Aston’s first EV, understood to be a high-riding, four-wheel-drive GT, is now due to arrive in 2026.