British sports luxury marque Aston Martin has
confirmed production of its upcoming RapidE EV will commence in 2019 on social
media this week. The company says the RapidE will be limited to just 155 units, and will be
Aston Martin’s first all-electric model.
Considering the rapid developments
other automakers have made in the last two years in terms of EV driving range,
it’s possible the final production version could aim a little higher when it
arrives in 2019, potentially towards the 450-500 km mark to better compete with
the likes of the Tesla Model S.
While recent reports have indicated the RapidE will
be produced with the help of Chinese electric start-up LeEco – both companies
signed a memorandum of understanding at the beginning of 2017 – Reuters
revealed this week that LeEco pulled out of the partnership.
According to the US publication, the split has
forced Aston Martin to make the RapidE a limited-edition model due to the
withdrawal of the Chinese conglomerate, and will begin taking 10 per cent down
payments for the upcoming EV next month, which is said to be priced from just
under 200,000 pounds. By comparison, the V12 petrol Rapide S
currently starts at 150,000 pounds.
Other new models coming by the end of the decade
include the Valkyrie hypercar (AM-RB 001) and a mid-engined sports car to
challenge the Ferrari 488 and Lamborghini Huracan and McLaren 570S.
