90 per cent of Aston Martin cars to be electrified by 2030

Aston Martin has announced plans that will ensure 90 per cent of its models come with plug-in hybrid or pure-electric powertrains, with its first electrified vehicle just two years from launch.

According to Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers, the plug-in version of the Aston Martin DBX SUV due in 2023 will be followed shortly after in 2025 by the car-maker's first pure-electric model.

“Electric drive is part of our journey and our product plan for the future," he said.

"We should achieve something by the middle of the decade – that’s the ballpark. That’s the period of time and I think it’s crucial.

“We have re-established engineering in the company on a different level and we have a lot of possibilities in mind. We have to finally do that, we have to finally line it up, but we have a clear ambition for 2030.”

The former Mercedes-AMG boss confirmed the plug-in Aston Martin DBX would be here "before 2024".

He added that the mid-engine Aston Martin Valhalla hypercar's powertrain was under review as part of the car-maker's Project Horizon that's designed to fuel "growth, agility and efficiency" – and, most importantly, boost profit.

The reference to the Valhalla powertrain has drawn many to predict Aston Martin will scrap the all-new twin-turbo V6 plug-in hybrid it has been developing for it and the Vanquish supercar and introduce Mercedes-AMG powertrains, following Benz taking a larger 20 per cent stake in Aston last year.

Moers: “Valhalla at the minute will get a redesign – probably it’s a bit of a different drivetrain than the company thought before, because with the transformational technology agreement with Mercedes there are other chances for us regarding the combustion engine.

“But we still have an electrified powertrain, we still have kind of a hybrid style, we still have really breathtaking technology.

"But we have to talk with our clients first and we have to show the new Valhalla, so to speak, to our customers. We’re going to do that over the course of the next three to four months.”

Despite the commitment by other car-makers like Jaguar to go full-electric as soon as 2025, Aston's boss believes supercars will "still have pure-combustion engines for track toys”, fuelling rumours that the car-maker will follow-through with its plans to launch an even faster, more extreme AMR version of the Valkyrie.

According to Moers, it's unlikely the current Aston Martin Vantage, DB11 and DBS Superleggera will be electrified.

"They have been on the market for a few years and need a refresh. This is what we’re doing currently,” he said.

“Do we have a chance to electrify them? This is what we’re investigating at the moment. I’m not sure about that because they have a transaxle layout [where the gearbox is mounted on the rear axle], it’s a specific sports car layout and it’s not that easy.

"It’s really complicated.”

Without the possibility of electrifying the current GT range, it's thought Aston is considering migrating the replacement for the DB11 and DBS to a Mercedes platform, which could see both based on the latest MRA architecture that the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class is based on.