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Aston Martin electric supercar might be in the works

Aston Martin could develop a lightweight battery-electric sports car in line with the Tesla Roadster as part of the British brand's shift towards hybrids and electric vehicles. CEO Andy Palmer told Auto Express the company is considering a pure-electric car that's smaller than the Vantage but faster and more expensive, taking aim squarely at the Roadster. "There are various challenges involved in making an EV, and the one everyone focuses on is the battery — the management system and the chemistry involved," Palmer said. He added: "The interesting thing is that the other three components of any electric car — weight, aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance — are areas sports car manufacturers, and us in particular, are really good at mastering. That puts us at an advantage over other brands who are making some big claims — such as Tesla, with a lightweight roadster. I think we could be in that space relatively easily." Aston Martin is building only 155 examples of its new RapidE, its first electric car due for launch in 2019, which will cost $255,000. It's also developing an electric version of its DBX crossover for 2019. More broadly, Palmer has said the brand plans to convert its entire six-car lineup to hybrid powertrains by the middle of the next decade, with 25 percent of its vehicles fully electric by the end of the 2020s. It recently unveiled an all-new Vantage, which it expects to price somewhere south of $150,000. Palmer also told Auto Express that Aston's coming hybrids will use 48V technology — but they won't be plug-in hybrids, which he says add complexity and costs. They could also pave the way for a six-cylinder Aston. "I have no objection to the principle of engines that are smaller and in a V configuration, in fact, but inline four-cylinder or three-cylinder units? No," he said. "I don't think we'll see an Aston Martin with a combustion engine that has any fewer than six cylinders."Related Video: Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images Green Aston Martin Coupe Electric Hybrid Performance Supercars PHEV aston martin vantage aston martin dbx

Look for Jaguar C-X75 in your new James Bond Scalextric set

Scalextric, the slot-car racing set, has produced sets themed around James Bond films for years. You can get the Range Rover from Skyfall, the Alfa Romeo from Quantum of Solace, the DBS from Casino Royale, and almost all of the sets include the Aston Martin DB5; there was a limited-edition three-car series of DB5s around the movie Goldeneye, back in 1995. They'll be doing it again for the coming Spectre film, Pocket-lint.com saying that the set will come later this year and looks like it will include the Jaguar C-X75. That treat, as well as the DB10, haven't been completed for the toy set yet because they haven't been finalized for the film. A new DB5 run will be available for the garage, limited to 4,500 units and featuring a manually raised rear shield and an automatic ejector seat triggered if the car bumps a bollard along the track during feisty driving. The expected price is 100 pounds ($152 US), which includes track, and it should be out sometime before the movie arrives in theaters in November. Featured Gallery James Bond 'Spectre' Scalextric set News Source: Pocket-lintImage Credit: Pocket-lint Celebrities Toys/Games TV/Movies Aston Martin Jaguar spectre jaguar c-x75 aston martin db10 scalextric

This guy bought a 1971 Aston Martin DBS instead of a house

The right classic car can make its dedicated owner do seemingly crazy things to non-enthusiasts, but Michael von Trzebiatowski goes to serious lengths for his 1971 Aston Martin DBS V8 in the latest episode of Petrolicious. Faced with a choice between a house or this classic coupe, von Trzebiatowski did the only rational thing. He bought the Aston Martin. It took von Trzebiatowski a decade to find his DBS, and even then affording it was a stretch. The coupe first attracted him as a kid after seeing Roger Moore driving one on TV, but the car's understated design lured him as an adult. "It's a bit portly, good-natured, and robust," he says to describe this British V8 grand tourer. Von Trzebiatowski once worried that his connection to the Aston Martin could have faded over time, and he might eventually have regretted the big purchase. That hasn't happened, thankfully. We'll let him explain why on Petrolicious. News Source: Petrolicious via YouTube Design/Style Aston Martin Coupe Performance Classics Videos petrolicious