- Aston Martin’s first EV will debut this decade using Lucid-supplied motors and battery tech.
- The brand is evaluating simulated gear changes and combustion-style sound profiles to enhance EV driving engagement.
- The upcoming Valhalla PHEV hypercar is expected to launch before Aston's s debut all-electric model.
Aston Martin’s electric chapter is inching closer, but the brand is already mulling over how to make its first battery-powered car feel unmistakably like one of its own.
Gears, growls and good sense
Speaking at Monterey Car Week, Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman hinted that Aston Martin is considering technology similar to Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N, complete with simulated gear changes and combustion-style sound effects. But, he stressed, any such system must genuinely improve the drive.
“If it is a benefit to the driving performance capability of our cars, and therefore it is authentic and real, and we can use a system that allows the driver to have more emotion about driving, then yes,” Reichman told CarBuzz. “If it is something that is purely artificial, then no. Because an Aston Martin is true; it’s authentic.”
F1 knowledge meets EV know-how
Reichman also pointed to Aston Martin’s edge in motorsport, saying its Formula One data could translate directly into how its road-going EVs handle. “Imagine the knowledge, the data we’re gathering and how we can use it to make a road car more exciting. Whether it’s gears or some way of using torque vectoring to generate engagement, we are fully embedded to an exciting driving experience,” he said.
What shape will it take?
Aston Martin has yet to reveal what its first EV will look like, whether a sleek sports car, a supercar or an SUV. DRIVEN Car Guide understands the model will use motors and batteries supplied through the brand’s partnership with Lucid, but performance figures remain under wraps.
In the meantime, the British marque is focusing on the Valhalla plug-in hybrid hypercar, set to arrive as a limited-run, mid-engined rival to the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80. That model is likely to be the last all-new Aston Martin launched before the brand finally flicks the switch to full electric power.