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James Bond going electric in next film with Aston Martin Rapide E

England's The Sun newspaper, in a piece fabulously titled "The Spy Who Plugged Me ... In," reports that James Bond will drive an Aston Martin Rapide E in the next franchise installment. Quoting "an insider," it's said director Cary Joji Fukunaga is a "total tree-hugger" and pushed to include a more environmentally friendly set of wheels. Long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson went along with it, Fukunaga's apparently working with Aston Martin on the show car. Nothing will be lost in the switch from horsepower to e-power, the Rapide E fitted with "all the high-tech gadgets" and starring in "the centre of an incredible action sequence in the movie." The Rapide E's appearance doesn't exclude a role for another Aston Martin, though. Bond drove a DB5 and DBS in " Casino Royale," then doubled up again in " Spectre" with a DB10 and DB5. We'd expect more than one Warwickshire product, in fact, since Bond cars don't tend to survive any "incredible action sequence." Since we can expect a raft of puns from the car's inclusion, let's go ahead and give a shout-out to Motoring Research who asked the question, " Do you expect me to torque?" Aston Martin plans to build 155 Rapide E sedans for any real-life tree-hugging spies. With Williams Advanced Engineering assisting development, the silent sedan contains a 64-kWh battery and 800-volt electrical architecture, powering a two e-motors with a combined output of 603 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque. The 0-60 gallop takes less than four seconds, top speed is 155 miles per hour, and range should crest 200 miles on the WLTP cycle. Fukunaga's directorial resume includes the Netflix film " Beasts of No Nation" and the first season of the HBO series " True Detective." He replaced director Danny Boyle at the helm after creative differences arose between Boyle and producers. Shooting should start next month at Pinewood Studios on what's known as Bond 25 for now, and reports say Oscar winner Rami Malek is a near-lock to play the villain. The Rapide E should be in showrooms at the end of this year, the film's release date slated for April 2020.

Aston Martin DB11 already has over 1,400 pre-orders

It's barely been a month since Aston Martin revealed the new DB11 at the Geneva Motor Show. The company hasn't even announced all the details yet, but it reportedly has already topped 1,400 pre-orders for the new model. "I think we're at more than 1,400 orders now," Aston chief Andy Palmer told the Motor Report, "which is great for a car that we've not really released the whole details about, and isn't available to be purchased until September." That's impressive considering that the company only sells around 4,000 vehicles each year. View 42 Photos Aston plans to ramp up production to 7,000 units annually, and the arrival of the new DB11 represents a major step forward for the niche automaker. It replaces the DB9 that's been on the market since 2004 and has – alongside the Vantage that's nearly as old – served as the basis for most of the vehicles the company has made over the past decade. However, the DB9 is built on a new platform and uses a new engine and transmission (among other components) supplied by Mercedes-AMG. Its 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 drives 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Aston's latest is slated to reach US dealers in the fall, with a price tag starting at $211,995. That represents only a small increase over the base price for the DB9 GT, which starts at just under $200,000. Rival Bentley's Continental GT tops out in Speed spec just a bit higher at $227,600. Related Video:

Geely in talks to take a stake in Aston Martin

China’s Geely Automobile Holding held talks with Aston Martin management and investors as it considers investing into the British luxury carmaker, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Geely is conducting due diligence as it looks at taking a stake in the 107-year-old UK firm, which warned earlier this week its 2019 profits would by cut nearly in half due to weak European markets. Another report out today said that Aston had canceled its RapidE electric car because of its financial situation. Geely owns controlling stake in another British car company, Lotus, and also the London EV Company, which makes London cabs. It also owns Volvo and a nearly 10% stake in Daimler. Aston Martin was not immediately available for comment. Geely did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  Related Video:     Earnings/Financials Green Aston Martin Geely