Launching a new V8 SUV would tie in with Aston’s renewed push on combustion cars. The Gaydon firm has recently delayed its debut EV by a year in light of sustained demand for ICE power.
Stroll said recently that consumer demand for electric cars “is not what we thought it was two years ago” and, as a result, will use hybrid powertrains as a “bridging” technology on the path to full electrification between 2025 and 2030.
He said: “What we are feeling is that there are people who still want some electrification to drive around in the city for five, 10 or 15 miles on electric power but still have the sports car smell, feel and noise when you get out onto the autoroute.”
Conveniently, Mercedes-AMG has already paired its V8 with an electric motor on the rear axle in plug-in hybrid versions of the GT, SL and S-Class – with power lifted to as much as 819bhp and, perhaps more pertinently in the case of a super-4×4, torque boosted to more than 1000lb ft.
Whether or not Aston could use this exact set-up remains to be seen, but it does not currently offer a PHEV version of the DBX and recently took the China-only mild hybrid off sale due to a lack of demand.
As Aston mulls the viability of potential new model lines, it is about to complete a wide-reaching overhaul of its sports car line-up with the introduction of the new V12-engined Vanquish in the coming months, joining the V8-powered DB12 and Vantage. It will also launch the mid-engined Valhalla supercar, its first plug-in hybrid, later this year.