Electric Aston Martin Rapide with 800bhp and 4WD on the way: OFFICIAL

Electric Aston Martin Rapide with 800bhp and 4WD on the way

New Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer has confirmed that AML are working on an all electric Rapide with four-wheel-drive and 800bhp. Expected by 2017.

It looks like even Aston Martin are not immune from looking at ULEVs as a way of garnering new customers and, perhaps more importantly, allowing their low emissions to off-set the continuing production of mighty GT cars with V8 and V12 engines.

Spurred on, no doubt, by Tesla’s success with the Model S, Andy Palmer, AML’s new boss, has confirmed that we will see an all-electric Aston Martin Rapide in the next two years, and it looks set to be a Rapide that blows the ICE-engined Rapide out of the water.

In conversation with Automotive News, Palmer confirmed the Rapide EV and its outline spec – all wheel drive, 800bhp and a range of around 200 miles (but not if you utilise the 800bhp to the max).

Palmer feels sure that an electric Rapide will appeal to a different market than the Tesla Model S, with buyers clearly differentiating between an established ‘super premium’ car maker’s efforts and those of a new car company that’s more like a tech company and without the heritage and kudos AML brings.

It looks like the target price (Palmer quoted it as $200-250k) won’t be significantly more than an ICE-engined Rapide, which should make it very appealing.

Now Palmer has confirmed the electric Rapide, it’s all but certain that Aston’s crossover – the Aston Martin DBX – will also come as an EV when it launches too – probably around 2019 – and add to Aston’s range of cars which can off-set the emissions from its ICE cars.