Aston Martin will build an electric SUV and an electric sports car at its UK production facilities from 2025, according to the Financial Times.
Speaking to the newspaper at the company's Gaydon headquarters, chairman Lawrence Stroll confirmed: "The SUV will be built in Wales and the sports cars will be built here," rather than by 20% stakeholder Mercedes-Benz in Germany.
However, the duo could still use batteries and motors supplied by the German firm, which already has a pair of electric series-production cars on sale, while Aston Martin has yet to market a bespoke EV drivetrain.
Stroll told the FT: "We are way ahead of our rivals, and all because of our partnership with Mercedes."
His comments follow Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers' recent claim that the firm can obtain electric, hybrid and combustion powertrain components from Mercedes at "a reasonable cost situation".
The brand's first electrified production vehicle will be a hybrid version of the new DBX SUV, due later this year, which can be expected to use a plug-in hybrid version of its 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, in line with upcoming PHEV versions of Mercedes-AMG's GT 4dr Coupé and S-Class performance saloons.
Aston Martin's mid-engined Valhalla supercar will also use hybrid technology but is now highly likely to forego the bespoke electrified V6 used by the 2019 concept in favour of an AMG-supplied unit.
A reworked version of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale rival will be shown in the coming months ahead of a market launch in 2023. Some customers, Aston Martin has confirmed, have already placed orders.
Little is known of the electric models mentioned by Stroll, although he did confirm that the sports car will be a "front-engine version of a DB11/Vantage" and will be sold alongside "an SUV higher four-wheel-drive one".
The designs haven't yet been finalised, he told the FT, and there remain question marks over whether electric Aston Martin models will use the 70-year-old DB name prefix.
Giving clues as to how electric Aston Martins will be differentiated from the competition (and potentially their mechanically related Mercedes siblings), Stroll told the FT that they will have "our beautiful body, our suspension, our vehicle dynamics [and] our bespoke interiors”.
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Worst fears realized. As an owner of two Astons who bought one new and one used, this is everything I feared when Stroll came in and especially when AMG man Moers arrived. The Aston V6 was so encouraging, as it would bring back a real Aston engine to replace the Benz V8 that has no business being in an Aston, no matter how good an engine it is. To abandon that V6 now, when it is so far along in its development, is unforgiveable. An "Aston" with a Benz drivetrain is not an Aston. To add insult to grave injury, now they are talking about using Benz platforms, which is beyond atrocious. It does not matter how you dress it up - a so-called Aston that has a Benz platform and a Benz drivetrain is just a Benz with a Badge, and certainly not an Aston. Would a Ferrari be a Ferrari if it had a Mercedes engine or platform? Of course not, the thought of it is utterly absurd. Same thing for Aston. They think the Valhalla with a bought-in Mercedes engine is a rival for the SF90! Ridiculous. A true Aston Martin, one with an Aston engine and platform, can and should be viewed in the same tier as a Ferrari. The notion that a Mercedes-powered or platformed so-called Aston could be considered a Ferrari rival is preposterous. No, Lawrence and Tobias, it's not just about the "brand." It's about the substance of the product. Putting a pretty body and interior on a Mercedes and tweaking the suspension and driveline to be "like" an Aston does not make an Aston. Just because you can make it a Benz underneath does not mean you should. This would not be saving Aston, it would be killing it. Shameful.
Not interesting in any way at all.