Aston Martin DB9 4WD Plug-in Hybrid revealed by Bosch (video)

Bosch has revealed a hybrid Aston Martin DB9 complete with electric motors, torque vectoring and plug-in recharging making the DB9 more economical and powerful.

Photo of Aston Martin DB9 4WD Plug-in Hybrid

Bosch has built a plug-in hybrid Aston Martin DB9

We’ve always believed one of the best uses for hybrid powertrains is to provide extra performance on high-end cars, something Bosh has demonstrated by fitting the Aston Martin DB9 with a hybrid setup.

The hybrid DB9 hasn’t been built to preview a production hybrid DB9 (although it probably should) but to demonstrate what Bosch can do with an existing car.

Aston Martin donated the DB9 to Bosch for the hybrid project, and Bosh has fitted the DB9 with three electric motors – one at each front wheel and one next to the Aston’s V12 – which gives the DB9 something in the region of an extra 250bhp to play with.

The electric motors on the front wheels turn the DB9 in to a 4WD supercar, with an extra motor sitting next to the V12 keeping everything working when the DB9 is working on electric power (which it can for up to 16 miles) with the 180kW lithium-ion batteries sitting ahead of the back axle.

The plug-in hybrid setup adds something like 300kg to the DB9’s weight, but 50 per cent more power more than makes up for that, with 0-62mph now expected to be in the mid 3 seconds range.

Handling is also improved by torque vectoring from the electric motors on the front wheels, complete with four modes – safe, sport, drift and custom – for the ultimate handling setup. Bosch has also fitted the DB9 hybrid with new TFT screens to setup and monitor the hybrid system.

It’s all a showcase for what Bosch technology can do for existing performance cars, but we reckon Aston Martin should be biting Bosch’s hands off to build a production DB9 Hybrid.