The Aston Martin Rapide may be on its way out now — soon to be replaced by a new sedan with a Lagonda badge — but that doesn’t mean the nameplate won’t receive a few upgrades as its lifecycle comes to an end. In fact, according to company CEO Andy Palmer, the Rapide is set to become Aston Martin’s first production car with an electric drivetrain.
Speaking to Car and Driver at the 2015 New York Auto Show, Palmer said Aston Martin already "green-lighted a technical study for Rapide EV," which would be a pure electric car with no range extender. The zero-emissions sedan will arrive in about to two years. Unfortunately, Palmer declined to reveal specifics like range and charge times, but he did hint the Rapide EV could have... hold on tight... 1,000 horsepower.
Tesla Motors, you’ve been warned!
Needless to say, the electric Rapide is part of the company’s plan to reduce its carbon footprint without axing the fabulous 5.9-liter V-12 engine spread across its lineup.
"From the compliance perspective, if we as a sports car company want to continue to make V-12s — I’d hate to be the guy that killed the Aston V-12 — then we can make the V-12 itself meet the emissions requirement, but you can’t expect your fleet average to be very good. So if you’re going to make your fleet average really good you have to have a low- or zero-emissions car," he added.
No word on whether the Rapide’s successor will also have an electric version.
Continue reading to learn more about Aston Martin’s future electric Rapide.
Aston Martin Wants Electric Rapide In Two Years originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 10 April 2015 13:00 EST.
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