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Aston Martin unveils fully electric concept saloon

In a move that would surely make James Bond choke on his martini, British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin has unveiled a fully-electric concept version of its Rapide S four door sports saloon

The new RapidE concept has been developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering at its facility in Grove, Oxfordshire in a project that was partly funded by an investment from Chinese venture capitalist firm ChinaEquity.

Aston Martin's RapidE concept
Aston Martin's RapidE concept

During a launch event at Lancaster House in London, Aston Martin and Chinese investment group, ChinaEquity, announced an agreement to explore the development of a production version of the RapidE concept.

If successful, the new luxury sports car would be constructed at Aston Martin’s global HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire, and could be brought to market in around two years. The company has not yet revealed performance specs for the vehicle.

Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: “We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of study for the project development. The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin towards developing low- and zero-emission sports cars.”

Commenting on the Chinese involvement Oliver Letwin MP who has supported the development of the project said: “Aston Martin is an iconic British brand, and I welcome their agreement today with ChinaEquity. It is a great example of British and Chinese businesses working together to develop links and bring benefits to the UK economy.”

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