Just because big-money billionaire and Official F1 Dad Lawrence Stroll bought a big chunk of Aston Martin doesn’t mean the company is suddenly going to heal all its wounds. Aston’s been spending more money than it should and a new owner largely translates to a new modus operandi. And that means pushing back both the Lagonda and all potential electric vehicles until after 2025.
Aston CEO Andy Palmer said in an interview with Auto Express that the new ownership stake meant they’ve had to re-think some things:
It’s also meant a shuffling of product priorities, notably the planned launch of all-electric Lagonda models. “Our Lagonda strategy is not dead, it’s just delayed,” Palmer told us. It’s been shoved back beyond 2025, rather than the 2022 launch originally planned.
The all-electric Rapide E project – in spite of deliveries being expected this year – has also been ‘paused’. The official line is that investment in electric vehicles will be delayed beyond 2025, although Palmer is still bullish about electrification in general: “All our vehicles will still feature some form of electrification by the middle of the decade,” he said.
Honestly, that rapid change in thinking from Aston shows just how desperate it was to find some sort of financial backing. The company had been strongly pushing an electric-friendly lineup only to just… stop. Rather than aim for an EV by 2022, Lawrence Stroll is ordering the company back to its supercar roots, telling them to instead build a Ferrari competitor.
Palmer confirmed to Auto Express that the marque’s hybrid V6 powertrain will be available in every mainstream model, and that definitely includes the DBX SUV, but rumour has it that even the Valhalla supercar will have the same engine.
On top of that, the Valkyrie and the Valkyrie AMR Pro are now definitely coming out in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The Vantage will be relaunched with a roadster version. Special models like the V12 Speedster and the Goldfinger DB5 Continuation are still on the horizon. And, of course, Aston Martin will be keeping up appearances in F1—albeit with a new-to-them team.
Which is another cog in this very perplexing machine. Lawrence Stroll is the father of Formula One driver Lance Stroll, and he’s been footing the bill to get Lance a seat since 2017. Buying out Aston Martin and swapping the automaker’s allegiance from Red Bull Racing to his son’s team seems like a pretty significant motivation for placing his bid.
The moral of the story here is that if you don’t like the direction an automotive company is going, just buy it out! They can’t tell you “no” if you’re the one funding their future!
Just be rich! That’s it! That’s the key to success in life!