Aston Martin’s next car is a mid-engined plug-in hybrid called Valhalla

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  Aston Martin’s next car is a mid-engined plug-in hybrid called the Valhalla. [credit: Aston Martin ]

Aston Martin has just added a new plug-in hybrid to its lineup. It’s one that can tackle the Nürburgring as well as the Low Emission Zone, though it’s probably more at home at the track; this is no city car like the Cygnet, nor the much-needed plug-in version of the DBX SUV (due in 2024). Instead, the boffins from Warwickshire have brought forth a mid-engined supercar with a V8 and two electric motors, a carbon-fiber chassis, more than a 1,300lbs of downforce, and a total power output of 937 hp. Oh, and it’s also James Bond’s new car.

At this point, you can be forgiven for having a bit of deja vu, but much has happened since we last visited Valhalla. Then, the mid-engined plug-in supercar was to be powered in part by a twin-turbo 3.0L V6. This was being designed in-house by Aston Martin, its first in-house engine design since 1968.

But later that year, Aston Martin got a new boss, Tobias Moers, who wasn’t impressed with the V6’s level of development—or lack thereof. Instead, Moers looked to a newly updated technology sharing agreement between Aston Martin and his old employer, Mercedes-AMG, which just happened to have a new performance hybrid system.