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Aston Martin mulls Formula E, but one thing must change

It may be the off-season, but Formula E is on fire. It seems that everybody is scrambling for a spot on the grid. Jaguar relaunched its racing program in the electric series, and is doubling down with a support series. Audi took a more prominent position for next season. BMW's in. Mercedes-Benz will be joining, too. Porsche has ditched WEC for Formula E. FCA is interested. So it shouldn't be too surprising, then, that Aston Martin is now considering a Formula E entry, as Automotive News Europe reports. Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told the outlet that the series could support the company's development of electric vehicles, such as the upcoming RapidE, pictured above. "We don't have an electric car yet, but we will have in 2019," he said. "You can imagine the two coming together. I love Formula E." Palmer said, though, that Aston Martin wouldn't want to join the series until it does away with car swaps mid-race. "For me, the use of the two cars reinforces the range anxiety," Palmer told Automotive News Europe. "That will change, and then it starts to get interesting." In the past, other automakers have expressed similar concerns about car swaps. The upcoming season will be the last to use the practice, and Formula E will move toward using a single car per driver for each race beginning in the 2018-19 season. Aston Martin scaled back plans for the RapidE electric car after its partner LeEco pulled out of the project. Instead, Aston Martin will rely on the engineering expertise of Williams, and limit the RapidE to 155 units, priced at around $255,000. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin RapidE concept View 12 Photos News Source: Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Aston Martin Green Motorsports Aston Martin Electric Racing Vehicles Formula E aston martin rapide fia formula e championship

Aston Martin says its fleet will go all-hybrid

British luxury carmaker Aston Martin says it plans to convert its entire six-car lineup to hybrid powertrains, with CEO Dr. Andy Palmer telling the Financial Times (subscription required), "We will be 100 per cent hybrid by the middle of the 2020s" and that 25 percent of all Aston Martins will be fully electric "by the end of the next decade." In June, the company announced it will produce the RapidE, its first all-electric car, in 2019, with a limited production run of 155 cars. The Rapide S, the model it's ostensibly based on, starts around $204,000. "RapidE represents a sustainable future in which Aston Martin's values of seductive style and supreme performance don't merely co-exist alongside a new zero-emission powertrain, but are enhanced by it," Palmer said in the statement. "The internal combustion engine has been at the heart of Aston Martin for more than a century, and will continue to be for years to come. RapidE will showcase Aston Martin's vision, desire and capability to successfully embrace radical change, delivering a new breed of car that stays true to our ethos and delights our customers." Palmer also told FT that while the company plans to source battery cells from overseas, it will develop its electric systems in-house. It is working with Williams Advanced Engineering in England on EV systems integrations for the RapidE. Aston is just the latest of a long line of automakers to announce electrification plans. Notably, Volvo recently announced that it would add some form of electrification to its entire fleet by 2019. Related Video:

Petrolicious shows a 1977 Aston Martin V8 shared by a father and son

Beyond a knack for great cinematography and skilled sound mixing, Petrolicious has a sixth sense for finding beautiful classic cars that bring families together. This time, it has turned the focus on a 1977 Aston Martin V8 that started as a son's ratty ride in high school and was later wonderfully restored by his dad. Paul Kitchen grew being surrounded by his dad, Jonathan's, classic cars, and eventually wanted to get one of his own. Paul first looked at a Chevrolet Chevelle, but Jonathan pointed his son towards an Aston Martin. Now, the two of them share this beautiful V8. The real highlight of this clip is watching this wonderful coupe snake over some wet roads over the burble of its V8. While the car's overall design was clearly European, Aston's stylists definitely had a look at some American muscle cars before picking up their pens. The result was a sublime blend of James Bond and Bullitt.