2000 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage V12 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin's Racing.Green. strategy lays out sustainability goals

Last year, Aston Martin co-owner Lawrence Stroll said the automaker had two electric vehicles in the pipeline, company CEO Tobias Moers saying the first electric model would show in 2024 or 2025. The English luxury sports car concern has outlined its plans in a new strategy called Racing.Green. — which we will write without the two periods from now on. The major goals of Racing Green are getting a hybrid vehicle to market in 2024, getting the first electric vehicle to market in 2025, phasing the last pure ICE cars out of the lineup in 2026, and offering a fully electrified portfolio by 2030.  Supporting the product goals, Aston Martin says its UK manufacturing facilities have utilized 100% renewable energy since 2019; Racing Green aims for net zero manufacturing emissions by 2030. The St. Athan facility in Wales will be fitted with 14,000 solar panels, enough to provide 20% of the plant's yearly energy use. When taking Aston Martin's entire supply chain into account, the initiative wants a 30% reduction in supply chain emissions relative to a 2020 baseline by 2030, and net zero supply chain emissions by 2039. On that subject, engineers are looking at using aluminum alloy created with 100% renewable energy. Even plastics and water are targeted, the company hoping to "eliminate all plastic packaging waste" within three years and reduce water use by 15%.    As to the product, that first PHEV is going to be the Valhalla and its English-tailored, AMG-sourced, 937-horsepower plug-in powertrain. We still don't know what the first electric model will be the following year, but the DBX makes an obvious candidate. And just a year after that, every model the firm sells will provide the option of an electrified powertrain, the pure ICE models phased out of the range. There will be more choice for interiors, too, in the form of leather-free vegan options. Those goals will occur within a company-wide sustainability, diversity, and inclusion overhaul with peer-reviewed chops. Aston Martin joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which helps businesses reduce greenhouse gas emissions "in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement." The automaker says Racing Green is also "aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals." In-house compliance with the strategy will be monitored by a board-level Sustainability Committee chaired by non-executive director Dr. Anne Stevens.

Aston Martin appears to be testing a V12 Vantage in these spy photos

For a few years now, the Aston Martin Vantage has been without V12 power. It's technically been without Aston Martin power, too, since its twin-turbo V8 comes from Mercedes-AMG. But that may change in the near future based on these spy photos from the Nurburgring. They show a Vantage, but one that's wider and with exhaust that suggest it may get a few more cylinders like its close cousin, the V12 Speedster. Staring us down is the prototype's enormous front grille, taller and wider than standard Vantage units. It's flanked by two smaller inlets and underlined by an aggressive front splitter. The whole front seems to be wider, as evidenced by the mismatch around the front fender and hood. Speaking of the hood, there's a big mesh "V" sitting on top to cover what are likely heat-extracting vents, which would probably be important for handling the heat from a twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12. Changes at the back are a bit more subtle, but only a bit. The rear fenders have large fender flares, suggesting the production car will also be wider at the back with correspondingly larger tires. There's a little gurney flap on the rear spoiler, so we may see a more aggressive spoiler in production. We also see a center exhaust instead of each of the dual pipes on the ends of the rear diffuser. This exhaust looks a lot like what Aston used on the V12 Speedster, itself based on the Vantage, but without the roof section. This is probably the strongest evidence that the car has the extra cylinders. With Aston clearly knowing how to shove a V12 into a Vantage chassis, and the high-end sports car market's never-satiated desire for more powerful and rarer items, a V12 Vantage seems like a slam-dunk product. The question will be, what output will it make. The V12 Speedster made 700 horsepower, but it was a limited-production special edition. The V12 Vantage could get the DB11's 630-horsepower variant to give the Speedster a bit of breathing room. And that would still be a nice power increase over the 503 horsepower of the regular Vantage. Based on these spy shots, we'd bet we have around a year before we see the production model, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. Related Video:

Aston plans Tesla-fighting 800-hp electric Rapide

Aston Martin is taking direct aim at the top versions of the Tesla Model S with a plan to launch a battery electric Rapide sedan boasting 800 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a 200-mile range within the next two years. Company CEO Andy Palmer confirmed the vehicle's development to Automotive News during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. A test mule to engineer the powertrain was already on the road, Palmer asserted. The electric Rapide would join the internal combustion version, rather than replace it, and the BEV would likely remain a niche product with just a few hundred per year carrying a price between $200,000 and $250,000. Palmer indicates the model would prioritize performance. "I think that the fact that you could drive a few laps of a decent race course or race it around the Nordschleife is much more interesting than doing 500 meters in Ludicrous mode," he said to Automotive News, taking a swipe at Tesla's latest upgrade. Palmer has referenced the electric Rapide before. Earlier this year, he said that power would be a major priority for it. Aston Martin has also received help on the project from an undisclosed Silicon Valley partner, but Palmer said the collaborator wasn't Tesla. "If you want to keep making V12 engines, then you've got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum," Palmer said about the company's strategy to Automotive News. The Rapide is just the first step in the brand's electrification, and the DBX is also under development for the next decade in EV, plug-in hybrid, and internal combustion versions. The crossover concept debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show as an EV.