Aston Martin’s hybridised V6 will rapidly be deployed across most of the marque’s range once it has made its debut in the Valhalla supercar, Autocar has learned.
The all-new powerplant, due to enter production in 2022, will replace the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre V8 that’s used in the Vantage, the lower reaches of the DB11 range and the soon-to-be-launched DBX SUV.
“Mercedes have made no secret of where their engine technology is moving to, and obviously we don’t foresee four-cylinder engines in our Astons,” CEO Andy Palmer told Autocar. “So we’ve got to make our own journey.”
With integrated electrical assistance, the Aston Martin V6 should effectively be a modular replacement for the AMG V8, with Palmer confirming that it can be mated to existing transmissions.
Just as important, it will make at least as much power as the AMG engine in these applications.“As you move on, you normally expect a power increase, not a decrease,” Palmer said. “You’re supposed to do that even with a smaller power unit, so there’s no way our customers are going to expect to step backwards.”
Aston Martin confirmed the new engine would be its most powerful yet when used in the Valhalla but that it would also be detuned and reconfigured to suit a variety of needs.
The British company has a long history of making straight sixes but has never done a V6 before. However, Palmer insists it will be possible to make sure it delivers a brand-appropriate experience. “The key is sound,” he said. “Tuning the pipes to make it sound like an Aston.
“Obviously we can use the hybrid system and the electric motor to fill in on torque, so you can compensate for the cylinder size with the electrical assistance.
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Symanski
V6.
This has been known for some time that the V6 will eventually replace the Mercedes V8 in all of Aston's models. You'll probably even find that the next replacement for the Ferrari F8 will also be a V6 hybrid. It's the right way to go.
Interestingly, whilst they won't be using the soon to be closed Ford plant, if Ford were interested they could probably make more use of that engine and technology in their own cars! Aston would be an ideal purchase for Ford again. Much better than Stroll buying Aston quite frankly.
V12 coming back from the Ford plant is irrelevant quite honestly; doesn't matter where it's built, it's how it's built. And Ford have the quality assurance processes to ensure that it's done right. You don't build as many engines as Ford without that in place!
Shares tonight at 57p. And they still haven't done what is necessary and sack Marek Reichman. They need to find a new designer to fix Aston's cars and put the business back on its feet again. Difficult times ahead globally, and Aston is holed below the waterline with his work.
Andrew1
Cylinders
The snowball is rolling fast, they'll adapt to the times, but for now they don't want to scare their buyers away.
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