Aston Martin Found a Way to Delay the V-12’s Death as It Reportedly Develops a New Modular Platform
Aston Martin is planning a new platform that will allow for SUVs and sports cars to be built alongside each other, CEO Adrian Hallmark told Auto Express. Hallmark told the outlet that the modular architecture w...
- Aston Martin is planning a new platform that will allow for SUVs and sports cars to be built alongside each other, CEO Adrian Hallmark told Auto Express.
- Hallmark told the outlet that the modular architecture will support pure EVs in the future, but stressed that Aston has no interest in plug-in hybrid vehicles.
- According to Hallmark, the brand has also future-proofed its V-12, meaning that it should stay compliant until Europe bans the sale of new combustion engines.
Aston Martin is working on an entirely new architecture, the brand's CEO, Adrian Hallmark, told Auto Express. In the same interview, Hallmark also told the outlet that Aston has future-proofed its V-12, meaning that the days of British GT cars with 12-cylinder engines are not quite over.
"We've done some work to make the V-12 compliant to European and U.S. [regulations]," Hallmark said. The kicker is that Aston can't produce the 12-cylinder engines with reckless abandon. "If we keep our V-12 sales under 1000 per year, then we're exempt from legislation until 2035 at least," he explained. Still, that means flagship models such as the Vanquish or ultra-exclusive models like the recent Valour and Valiant models can remain on our roads—potentially until the sale of new combustion engines is banned.
Back to that new platform. It's a clean-sheet design, per the report. That means a modular structure capable of producing SUVs and sports cars on the same line—increasing shared parts, reducing complexity, and driving down costs. According to Hallmark, the new architecture is designed with support for purely electric vehicles in mind. The CEO told Auto Express that they won't be introduced until the 2030s, but the brand is preparing for that eventuality.
The new platform is being designed with new engineering methods that Hallmark said will increase torsional rigidity at only a slight weight penalty. Aston's CEO said stiffer suspension mounting points will enhance driving dynamics, while rear-wheel steering will help turn-in on Aston's GT models.
One thing the new platform won't accommodate is plug-in hybrids. Hallmark said Aston has decided that it doesn't need to bother with PHEV powertrains. Since the European Union downgraded emissions credits for PHEVs after driving data showed that most owners don't plug their cars in, the automaker decided that the added cost and weight don't make sense for its lineup. "We’re not delusional; we’re pragmatic," Hallmark said. Instead, Aston plans to introduce a 48-volt hybrid system, adding a slight power boost and potentially improving fuel economy.
➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.
Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.