Aston Martin sales to be 50 per cent electric by 2030

UPDATE, October 21: Half of Aston Martin’s sales should be of electrified models by 2030, the British firm’s top boss has said.

Chief Executive Tobias Moers told Reuters at an automotive event held by the agency this week that “a minimum of 50 per cent of [the brand’s] sales will be electric, possibly more" by the end of this decade.

Previously the luxury carmaker had only committed to transitioning to electric power from 2025 when it starts to build EVs in the United Kingdom – kicking things off with a plug-in hybrid version of the DBX SUV.

Existing production lines at Aston’s St Athan (Wales) factory, which handles production of the DBX, will be equipped to build electric variants, while the British marque’s original Gaydon (England) facility will produce its first – as-yet-unnamed – fully-electric sports car.

Aston Martin is also tipped to bring electric power to the DB11 and Vantage, both currently featuring twin-turbo V8 and V12 engines, after CEO Tobias Moers said its "traditional sports segment has to be full electric".

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2021 ICE-powered Aston Martin DBX

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March 11: Aston Martin will begin building electric cars in the United Kingdom from 2025, starting with a battery electric version of the DBX SUV and an as-yet-unnamed new electric sports car.

Existing production lines at Aston’s St Athan (Wales) factory, which handles production of the DBX, will be equipped to build electric variants, while the British marque’s original Gaydon (England) facility will produce its first fully-electric sports car, according to Financial Times.

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It was also confirmed that Aston Martin will offer a plug-in hybrid variant of the DBX between now and when the full-EV DBX arrives in 2025. It is expected for 2023.

Aston Martin previously planned to launch the Rapide E as the brand’s first electric vehicle – and revive the Lagonda sub-brand to sell them – until those plans were shelved after Lawrence Stroll’s arrival.

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Aston Martin Rapide E concept

Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll bailed Aston Martin out of financial woes in 2020 by leading a billion-dollar rescue. Aston’s Rapide E and Lagonda plans were deemed too expensive to continue.

It is looking to the future with these latest announcements, but Stroll, who now acts as the company’s chairman and is its largest shareholder, told the Financial Times Aston Martin will continue making combustion engines into the next decade.

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Aston Martin has held a hard line against looming combustion engine (ICE) car bans, such as the one affecting its home country in England.

Stroll stated last year that he “never sees [ICE production] going down to zero."

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While the details are thin, Aston Martin will continue to produce petrol-powered cars beyond 2030. It will either sell combustion-engined cars as track-only specials, or will offer them to countries that haven’t yet introduced similar bans.

Ex-Aston CEO Andy Palmer has also taken issue with the UK’s plan to ban combustion engine cars from 2030.