Can Aston Martin beat Tesla at its own game?
Could the car that’s become synonymous with James Bond go electric?
British luxury car maker Aston Martin apparently has plans to make an all-electric model that may be capable of giving electric vehicle (EV) megastar Tesla, which Forbes just named the most innovative company in the world, a run for its money.
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told Automotive News the company has plans to build an all-electric version of the Rapide. Without revealing many details, Palmer told Automotive News he expected the electric-powered Rapide would feature all-wheel drive, a range of 200 miles, and get 800 horsepower.
That would be significantly more powerful than one of the most powerful electric cars on the market, the Telsa P85D. This Tesla model features performance all-wheel drive and gets 259 horsepower from its front motor and 503 horsepower from the rear motor.
In his interview, Palmer also took a swipe at Tesla’s recently-announced speed enhancement called “Ludicrous mode,’’ calling it “stupid.’’
From Automotive News:
“I think that the fact that you could drive a few laps of a decent race course or race it around the Nordschleife [a famed track in Germany] is much more interesting than doing 500 meters in Ludicrous mode.’’
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Check out some of the most fuel-friendly luxury cars on the market:
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Palmer indicated the price tag for an all-electric Aston Martin could range from $200,000 to $250,000. The MSRP of a gas-powered 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S starts at $203,295. Meanwhile, the MSRP of the Tesla P85D is about $133,000.
In addition to an EV version of the Rapide, Palmer said an all-electric version of Aston Martin’s DBX crossover will arrive by 2019. According to BoldRide, the DBX, which first debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, will be available as a plug-in hybrid, then a gas-only model, and then an all-electric version.
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