Aston Martin's First EV Could Cost A Quarter Of A Million Dollars

Aston Martin is a very, very busy company. One day it'sbandying about the ideaof creating a true supercar and the next it's selling sedansfor $1 million. The automaker's latest move is into the EV space with the all-electric Rapide.There were rumblingsabout an electric Rapide earlier in the year and Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer confirmed the car in an interview with Automotive News at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Palmer said the EV will enter production in two years and have 800 horsepower, all-wheel drive and a 200-mile range.

It will be priced between $200,000 and $250,000, way above the Model S. "What Tesla clearly shows you is we haven't hit the ceiling in terms of price. But I think it's hard, though not impossible, for them as a relatively new brand to keep pushing up and to go into that super premier area," Palmer said. The CEO is banking on buyers taking Aston Martin's "legacy" into account when deciding between premier EVs. The reason behind the Aston Martin EV is simple: emissions restrictions. "If you want to keep making V12 engines, then you've got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum," Palmer said. As for a crazy speed mode, a la the P85's Ludicous mode: "We don't do Ludicrous because Ludicrous speed is stupid," Palmer said.