Aston Martin CEO Throws Rocks at Glass House, From Glass House
Gearing up to sell its own four-door, all-electric sedan in a couple years, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told well-heeled listeners in Monterey, California that Tesla’s “Ludicrous Speed” was plain ol’ dumb, Automotive News reported.
“We don’t do Ludicrous because Ludicrous speed is stupid,” Palmer said.
(But selling a variation of a four-door Aston Martin that’s been on sale for 6 years with a 200-mile range for $200,000 to $250,000? That’s genius.)
Palmer also described Aston Martin’s upcoming DBX, an all-wheel drive crossover four-door that could go on sale as early as 2019. That car could be offered as a plug-in hybrid, an all-gasoline model and eventually as an all-electric vehicle, according to the report.
Few details about the all-electric Rapide were made available, however. The four-door sedan could boast around 800 horsepower and a 200-mile range.
Aston Martin currently sells the gasoline Rapide for just over $200,000 in the U.S. Tesla’s Model S P85D with Ludicrous Speed update costs $118,000 before incentives.
More by Aaron Cole
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So, "Ludicrous Speed" is silly, and "Emotional Control Units" instead of keys, and the gauges proclaiming "POWER, BEAUTY, SOUL" on startup arent't? Got it.
The Rapide wasn't genius. You know what was truly genius? The Aston Martin Cygnet, a tarted-up Toyota/Scion iQ, for the two or three Aston owners who just *insisted* that their city cars have the storied winged badge. That is just pure, unbridled genius...so much so that the other exotic automakers promptly *didn't* hustle to the market with competing products. Yeah, Aston Martin, which survives on a strange cocktail of dated Ford and Volvo components (and apparently Toyotas that no one wants), definitely isn't in a position to throw rocks. And whatever happened to spokespeople being polite and diplomatic? I appreciate the candor every once in a while, but not everyone can be Jeremy Clarkson..:
Palmer and de Nysschen used to work together at Infiniti before both left at about the same time. Now they're off ruining other things. Palmer would have been better off saying "crass" rather than "stupid". At least then we'd know it was just the upper-class fulmination of a British twit.
Well if it's faster, then they have to call it "Plaid" https://youtu.be/mk7VWcuVOf0?t=125 (if this link doesn't work, youtube search- They've gone into plaid )