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Aston Martin's CEO says that autonomous cars are only a matter of time

In addition to bringing the Aston Martin AM-RB 001 to its first auto show this week, the CEO of Aston Martin, Andy Palmer, revealed his thoughts on the future of cars. And it's a future full of autonomy and electricity. According to our friends at TechCrunch, Palmer said it's a question of when – not if – autonomous vehicles will reach the public. T echCrunch also reports that Aston plans on offering an autonomous Lagonda in the future. For those of us who love driving ourselves, though, there is some good news: Fully autonomous cars are likely well into the future. Palmer told the Toronto Star that he recognizes autonomous driving is a bit antithetical to a sports car company, saying "we're a driver's car, so we're not in a rush to go driverless." He also pointed out a number of issues that personally concern him about autonomous vehicles, and which have him hesitant to pursue autonomous tech on Astons. His primary concern, according to both TechCrunch and Toronto Star, is the issue of security, but he also wants to make sure the technology is truly ready. TechCrunch reports that he said companies need a full understanding of the tech "before we beta test our customers." This statement seems pointed at Tesla, which has often said that its semi-autonomous Autopilot feature is in beta. In addition to discussing autonomous vehicles, Palmer talked about the future of electric cars, which he finds to be bright. He told the Toronto Star that he believes the future of vehicle propulsion has been decided, and that it will be electricity. He pointed to a shift in focus from the German automakers, as well as the Volkswagen diesel scandal as indicators. Palmer suggested that 25 percent of cars will be powered by electricity sometime in the next eight years, but noted this leaves plenty of room for internal combustion vehicles for a while. Related Video:

2012 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn offers a tutorial in cars to come

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a showcase for some of the world's most exquisite vintage vehicles, but if newer metal is more your speed, the Concept Car Lawn is the place to be.
This year saw models from Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley as well as SRT, Hennessey, Infiniti and Lexus among others. The ultimate sampler platter of exotic and concept vehicles saw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse mingle with the Lamborghini Urus Concept and the mighty Hennessey Venom GT, though we found ourselves particularly smitten with the BMW Zagato Roadster and the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Not that we could go wrong anywhere we looked. The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed seemed perfectly content parked on the manicured putting green, as did the McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Get cozy with the full gallery below to see the smattering of metal on the lawn.

Aston Martin values electric propulsion over downsizing

Not even small-volume manufacturers are being exempt from the automotive industry's pursuit of higher efficiency and lower emissions. At present, that means either electric propulsion (whether in part or in whole) or downsizing conventional engines, and for Aston Martin, the future apparently lines in the former. "I see in our future obviously V12s, V8s and probably battery-electric cars," Aston's CEO Palmer revealed to Autocar. "As time evolves, there's probably an inevitability to hybridisation, simply because, car by car, you can only downsize so much. I'd rather put a hybrid in there than an in-line four-cylinder." So just how does the company envision implementing electric or hybrid propulsion? "Imagine something like a 4x4, 1,000-bhp silent Rapide. I think 'Power, Beauty, Soul' doesn't say it has to be a gasoline engine. It just needs to be really powerful, really beautiful and set your heart on fire," Palmer explained. "I'd argue that 1,000 bhp on the ground would probably do that for you. So that's the route we could go." The British automaker demonstrated the DBX concept with an all-wheel-drive electric powertrain at the Geneva Motor Show a few months ago, and is currently in the process of revitalizing and expanding its current product range. Of course Aston isn't the only high-end niche automaker faced with the decision to either downsize or add hybrid propulsion. Ferrari is taking both approaches, using smaller turbocharged engines in its V8 models and moving towards hybrids with its V12s. Porsche offers an array of plug-in hybrids and is in the process of downsizing and turbocharging its naturally aspirated engines. Pagani switched from a big V12 in the Zonda to a smaller turbo V8 in the Huayra. Bugatti is expected to use electric turbochargers in its Veyron successor. And Lamborghini was recently reported to be considering a turbo five for the Huracan.