Aston Martin to Continue Developing V8 and V12 Engines

TapTechNews May 29th news, British luxury carmaker Aston Martin has announced that it will continue to develop V8 and V12 large-displacement engines to meet consumers' pursuit of strong power and surging sound. This decision goes against the company's previous plan, as Aston Martin had previously planned to replace the V8 engine with a V6 engine.

In February this year, Aston Martin upgraded its Vantage model and increased the power of the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG by 153 horsepower and 115 pound-feet. In addition, the company also confirmed that it will install a brand-new twin-turbocharged V12 engine on the next-generation Vanquish model. The maximum power of this engine can reach 824 horsepower and the peak torque can reach 1000 pound-feet, which will become the successor of the DBS model.

It is worth noting that just four years ago, Aston Martin also planned to develop a V6 engine to replace its V8 engine. However, this project was discontinued last year. In a recent interview, Alex Long, Aston Martin's director of product and market strategy, said that the V6 engine cannot bring the same strong emotional resonance to drivers as the V8 and V12 engines.

The fun of driving is not just about speed, Alex said. I also want some passion, the real sound and roar, and be able to proudly say that this is a V8 or V12 model. Because V8 and V12 engines are usually only equipped on very special and exciting models, while the V6 engine is not high-end enough.

Alex pointed out that many of Aston Martin's consumers drive electric cars daily, but they still long for a model that can provide a more pure driving experience.

The fuel economy of these cars is not the best, Alex said. They are usually not the only car in the owner's home. Therefore, many Aston Martin's consumers may still have an electric car at home, but they still long for the sensory experience such as the sound, roar and vibration of the V8 engine.

TapTechNews noticed that Aston Martin is not the only carmaker that insists on large-displacement engines. It is reported that Mercedes-AMG also abandoned the initial plan to equip the new CLE63 Coupe and convertible models with a 2.0-liter hybrid four-cylinder engine, but chose to continue using the highly sought-after 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine.