Aston Martin did more than just show off their licensed-to-kill DB10 at the recent Lancaster House exhibition designed for the benefit of the Chinese delegation, seen by Their Royal Highnesses Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and President of The People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. The marque also premiered a new concept car: a fully electric version of their Rapide S four door sports saloon known as the RapidE.
The vehicle was developed with Williams Advanced Engineering in Oxfordshire, and was a shining example of what British engineering can do. It will potentially be available in two versions: a model with 550 horsepower and rear wheel drive, which will have a range of 200 miles, and a shorter range model that will have almost double the horsepower. Rumour has it that this high performance RapidE will have four separate engines – one to power each wheel.
To assist with the next phase of product development, Aston Martin announced a partnership with Chinese investment group ChinaEquity. The group is interested in developing a production RapidE for the Chinese marketplace, which would be made in the UK and could be in the market in two years’ time.
Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: “We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of study for the project development. The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin towards developing low- and zero-emission sports cars.”