Aston Martin to make petrol cars ‘for as long as allowed’

LONDON (AFP): British luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda will continue to produce traditional combustion-engine vehicles for as long as legally possible, its boss told UK media this week.

“For as long as we’re allowed to make ICE (internal combustion engine) cars, we’ll make them. I think there will always be demand, even if it’s small,” Chairman Lawrence Stroll told reporters on Wednesday in comments confirmed to AFP on Thursday.

The remarks come after Aston Martin in February delayed the launch of its first electric vehicle by one year until 2026 and with deliveries due in 2027.

The delay came after Britain last year pushed back its planned ban on the sale of high-polluting petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.

That still means however that the country’s car manufacturing sector must switch to producing fully-electric vehicles, as part of the UK government’s overall goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and help tackle climate change.

Stroll also signaled that Aston Martin will ramp up investment for plug-in hybrid vehicles to sell until the mid-2030s, ahead of the introduction of an outright ban on combustion-engine cars.

The remarks came one month after Aston Martin Lagonda appointed Adrian Hallmark as its new chief executive, poaching him from German-owned peer Bentley where he stepped down as CEO.

Hallmark will take the wheel at Aston Martin by October 1, replacing Italian national Amedeo Felisa, who since May 2022 has helped steer around performance at the brand.

The Briton will be the fourth chief executive in as many years at Aston, beloved by fictional British spy James Bond.