Aston Martin is just the latest manufacturer to smell the petrol.
Aston Martin has delayed the launch of its first electric car as the luxury marque’s Chairman admitted that drivers still want “the sports car smell, feel and noise” of a petrol engine.
The luxury car maker had originally aimed to launch an electric four-wheel drive grand tourer as soon as next year but will now hold off until 2026.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston’s Executive Chairman and biggest shareholder, blamed weak demand for higher-priced battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for the delay.
The Canadian billionaire said: “All our [BEV] technologies are in place… Everything is in place.
“The only thing that isn’t in place is the consumer demand at this early stage.”
At any stage, I would suggest. This technology was tried in the early twentieth century and was rejected for good reason. It’s an anachronism.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire behind Ineos who has developed his own four-wheel drive vehicles, last week warned BEVs are being “forced down the consumer’s throat”.
Mercedes has also insisted it will keep making internal combustion engine cars “well into [the] next decade” amid slow consumer uptake.
Expect to see more of this. Gradually as the fines start racking up (or they stop offering ICE to avoid them and end up with lots full of unsold cars) and the manufacturers are boxed in by government diktat on the one side and an intractable lack of consumer demand on the other, something will have to give.
In the meantime, talking of Renault as I was the other day, I see that they have launched an updated 5. Now that would ordinarily have piqued my interest. My first car was a super 5. Downsizing to a sporty new 5 would really have been of interest to me and the right package would have seen a deal done. However, as they are only going to be offered in milk float versions, it’s a ‘no’ from me.
There needs to be lots more examples of people saying NO and meaning it.
Funny how when the bottom line isn’t being propped up by ever compliant consumer drones, who usually subscribe eagerly to each and every latest half witted idea our leaders and betters come up with, that the corporate headlong rush to be govt/wef/who/un teachers pet stalls.
Anecdotal, I know, but every time I mention my experience with the Megane, I keep hearing similar stories of people keeping their existing vehicle rather than ‘upgrade’ to an EV.
I remember in the 80s, the Gordini was a competitor to the XR3 and Golf GTI. Many of my mates liked the vavavoom of it. I bought an Alfa Sprint Veloce, with usual rust issues. Beautiful car, and drove well though. On the main topic, yes, irresistable force meets immovable object time coming up for the motor industry, EVs are just not the solution, and consumers are aware of it.
I too had a Sprint Veloce in the 80s, marvellous to drive, monstrous to maintain, I moved it on before the inevitable tin-worm took over.
On the main topic – I’m currently pondering replacing one of my modest fleet and, once you’ve eliminated the all-electrics, then the hybrids, then the diesels, there’s precious little still available in pure petrol. I’d advise anyone to get in quick while they last, it’ll take the manufacturers a decade to recover their development stream, whenever they recover their brains.
In my own use case a BEV would work fine… But I typically keep my car until it becomes unreliable before I consider a replacement. At my age my present Golf diesel (no, not that one, the later ‘clean’ engine) may see me to the end of my driving career. Why should I change early, at great personal cost, when I am unlikely to ‘recoup’ the investment? Either environmentally or financially. It makes no sense.
I despise fuckwit politicians telling me what to do. I didn’t take the CV-19 jabs and I won’t be buying an electric car as a FUCK YOU to them.
The number and size of potholes around here, correlates with the number of electric cars whizzing around…
EVs are at least 30% heavier than normal vehicles, and in some cases nearly twice as heavy! Never will one of these juice-guzzlers desecrate my drive or electricity account!
There are few flies on Lawrence. But he’s missing the point here: BEVs aren’t being forced down people’s throats (okay, arguably the manufacturers’, to be fair). You’re not supposed to buy them. They’re the excuse for getting rid of cars altogether.