- the ceo of sports-car maker aston martin tells c/d the company will engineer its own 3.0-liter hybrid v-6.
- the new engine will be built in the u.k. and will be at least as powerful as the amg v-8 (pictured above, in the db11) that it replaces.
- aston's v-12 will continue, but its production will be moved from germany to england, too.
with amg set to launch a hybridized four-cylinder engine that will effectively replace its mighty v-8, a subsidiary question has been what that decision would mean for aston martin, which uses the daimler powerplant in the vantage, the entry-level db11, and the soon-to-launch dbx. now, after speaking to the boss, we know the answer: the british sports-car maker will be creating its own hybrid 3.0-liter v-6.
our plans to interview aston ceo andy palmer at the geneva auto show were nixed by the cancellation of the event, so we spoke by phone instead. despite aston's recent travails, culminating in the sale of part of the company to a consortium led by lawrence stroll, aston remains committed to substantial investment, both in the creation of two new mid-engined models and the new powerplant. we'd previously been told that this v-6 would be used by the forthcoming valhalla and vanquish, and now palmer has confirmed it will effectively replace the brought-in engine throughout the lower reaches of the range.
"mercedes have made no secret of where their engine technology is moving to, and obviously we don't foresee four-cylinder engines in our astons," palmer told car and driver, "so we’ve got to make our own journey."
palmer said that the decision taken to pause development of the pure electric lagonda models has allowed the company to prioritize the development of the new powerplant. although aston has no history with v-6s, it has created many straight-sixes over the years, and palmer says he anticipates no problems in ensuring it delivers brand-appropriate character.
"the key is sound, tuning the pipes to make it sound like an aston," he said. "obviously we can use the hybrid system and the electric motor to fill in on torque so you can compensate for the cylinder size with the electrical assist. as long as it feels like a v-8 and sounds majestic, i think it's a perfectly sensible way to go, and a lot more sensible than an [inline] four would be for us."
while we will have to wait to find out how much power will come from the new system's combustion and hybrid sides, palmer indicated we can safely expect the total to be at least as much as that made by the current v-8.
"as you move on, you normally expect a power increase, not a decrease," he said. "you're supposed to do that even with a smaller power unit, so there's no way our customers are going to expect to step backward."
palmer also indicated that the new power unit, which will be produced in the u.k., will sit entirely "upstream" of a car's gearbox, meaning the transmission won't be required to blend electrical assistance with the combustion efforts and will be able to work with existing gearboxes. beyond the need to accommodate battery packs and control systems, it should come close to offering aston a direct replacement for the amg v-8.
there's more good news: aston remains committed to making v-12s as well, with company insiders indicating that production of the brand's 5.2-liter twin-turbo, which is currently made at the ford plant in cologne, germany, will also be shifted to the u.k. to be built alongside the new v-6. with most other makers of 12-cylinder engines admitting that their engines are approaching retirement, that is an impressive commitment to the future of the range-topping powerplant; last year aston made 1780 cars with v-12s, which was close to a third of its total production for all markets.
"i hope the v-12 is around for a good while longer," palmer said. "you can see in the longer term it won't last, but certainly over the next few years we can continue to produce v-12 engines and we can make them more co2 friendly. it will be a sad day when we see the v-12 engine disappear from an aston.”
palmer was also keen to emphasize that the u.k. government's move to ban all cars with gasoline and diesel engines by 2035 won't necessarily impact other markets. "it's a controversial subject, isn't it?" he said. "the key point is that we make cars for the world, and the world hasn't said there isn’t a future for hybrids or plug-in hybrids. if we were only selling to the united kingdom it would be different, but we're selling to a worldwide market where there are a variety of views in terms of future technology and how it will be deployed."
manual in vantage may expand to other models
we also sneaked in a question about manual gearboxes, since aston started offering the option in the vantage last year. while acknowledging it will be a minority choice, he insisted developing it was the right decision.
"i think it reinforces our position as an enthusiast brand, because nobody else in this part of the market is developing those cars," he said, "i think there is a group of people who love what i'd call the romanticism of the manual car. i wouldn't stick a pin in and say the vantage is our last one, i'd like to think there might be the room for more in the future, but i can’t say that with certainty."