DBX hybrid ‘coming along well’; Aston Martin EV progressing

June 1, 2021June 9, 2021 Toby Hagon 5125 Views

Aston Martin’s biggest, newest car appears set to be the first to adopt battery electric tech – but it may take four years to make it to market.

While other brands surge ahead with introducing battery electric vehicles (BEVs), as a relative minnow in the car world Aston Martin is still prepping its inaugural model.

In some ways it’s indicative of the challenges facing low-volume brands; while rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini have recently committed to EVs, each will take years longer than Porsche and more prevalent luxury brands to rely purely on electricity.

“Clearly, DBX is part of our long-term plans and electrification is very important to us,” said Aston Martin communications director Kevin Watters.

“[Aston Martin chief] Tobias [Moers] has said on the record that by 2025 we’ll have our first full battery electric vehicle and by 2030 90 percent of all our vehicles will either be plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or fully electrified.

“From that you can probably guess which way DBX is going to go.”

But Watters says Aston Martin is starting its electrification journey sooner than that.

“We will start to have plug-in hybrids from 2023.

“Our future mid-engine cars will be plug-in and DBX will get a plug-in hybrid at some point.”

The first SUV from Aston Martin, the DBX, is also expected to be the first from the British brand to be available as an EV by 2025

One of the challenges for Aston Martin is its ownership. While Ferrari is now a publicly listed company it has tie-ups with Fiat (itself now part of Stellantis), while Lamborghini is part of the Volkswagen Group.

Billionaire Lawrence Stroll was instrumental in saving the British brand in 2020 and told the Financial Times earlier this year that the Mercedes-Benz tie-up and partial ownership (Benz owns 5 percent of Aston Martin) put the company in a good position.

“We are way ahead of our rivals, and all because of our partnership with Mercedes,” Stroll told the FT.

A regular hybrid version of the DBX could be unleashed within months.

When quizzed, Aston Martin chief engineer Matt Becker said a DBX hybrid was progressing nicely.

“The car is coming along well,” he said, reinforcing the line that the Mercedes-Benz tie-up – Benz also owns 5 percent of Aston Martin – gave access to the latest technology.

“The deal with Mercedes gives us access to better engine technology … the toolbox is much greater than it was before.”