Aston Martin will keep its V-12 production numbers relatively low, but the brand's CEO claims that they'll be around until new combustion engines are completely banned. Aston Martin is working on an entirely new architecture, the brand's CEO, Adrian Hallmark, told Auto Express. In the same interview, Hallmark also told the outlet that Aston has future-proofed its V-12, meaning that the days of British GT cars with 12-cylinder engines are not quite over.
"We've done some work to make the V-12 compliant to European and U.S. [regulations]," Hallmark said. The kicker is that Aston can't produce the 12-cylinder engines with reckless abandon. "If we keep our V-12 sales under 1000 per year, then we're exempt from legislation until 2035 at least," he explained. Still, that means flagship models such as the Vanguish or ultra-exclusive models like the recent Valour and Valiant models can remain on our roads—potentially until the sale of new combustion engines is banned.
View Price on AmazonBack to that new platform. It's a clean-sheet design, per the report. That means a modular structure capable of producing SUVs and sports cars on the same line—increasing shared parts, reducing complexity, and driving down costs. According to Hallmark, the new architecture is designed with support for purely electric vehicles in mind. The CEO told Auto Express that they won't be introduced until the 2030s, but the brand is preparing for that eventuality.
The new platform is being designed with new engineering methods that Hallmark said will increase torsional rigidity at only a slight weight penalty. Aston's CEO said stiffer suspension mounting points will enhance driving dynamics, while rear-wheel steering will help turn-in on Aston's GT models. One thing the new platform won't accommodate is plug-in hybrids. Hallmark said Aston has decided that it doesn't need to bother with PHEV powertrains. Since the European Union downgraded emissions credits for PHEVs after driving data showed that most owners don't plug their cars in, the automaker decided that the added cost and weight don't make sense for its lineup.
Source: caranddriver.com
