The The new Aston Martin RapidE electric super saloon
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Aston Martin has already confirmed it is building an electric Rapide, and it looks like that will be achieved with the help of a £50 million from China Equity.
There is little to add to the story except confirmation the electric RapidE was revealed at Lancaster House to China’s President Xi and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, confirmation that the RapidE will be developed together with Williams Advanced Engineering and funded with help from China Equity.
Aston also revealed photos of the electric RapidE, but it seems clear they’re nothing much more than an indication of what’s to come, and a, very brief, video (below).
It’s only a couple of months since Andy Palmer, Aston Martin boss, confirmed that AML are planning an electric version of the four-door Rapide aimed at customers for whom a Tesla S is just too low rent.
But with plans already afoot at AML to build the DBX Crossover – and huge losses last year – you may wonder how Aston Martin is going to fund its ambitious plans. Step forward the Chinese.
In the week that Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a State visit to London, lots of UK projects getting input from the Chinese are being revealed, and one of those is expected to be a £50 million investment by China Equity to allow Aston Martin to build the RapidE.
The investment from China Equity should ensure AML will be able to deliver the electric Rapide, and at the spec and performance level Andy Palmer indicated.
That means a four-wheel drive Rapide with 800bhp on tap and a range of around 200 miles, and a price point that won’t be a lot more than the existing V12 Rapide (think under £200k).
The all electric Aston Martin Rapide is expected to be revealed by 2017.
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