Aston Martin Product Boss: People want a big engine

Aston Martin's successor to the dbs will be equipped with a new V-12 engine, as it is what customers want. Alex Long, head of product and marketing strategy at the automaker, said in a recent interview with CarThrottle: "We are pleased to announce that we have been able to offer a wide range of products and services to our customers.

The engine was recently confirmed by Aston Martin to be a newly developed version of the existing twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12, a successor to the Dbs, carrying an output of 824 hp, a car tilted to revive the Vanquish nameplate.

Big engines are not really needed anymore for performance. Aston Martin is currently racing in a Formula 6 with a turbocharged V-1 hybrid powertrain, and the Ferrari 296GTB and McLaren Altura supercars will be powered by a twin engine as part of their respective plug-in hybrid powertrain. It uses a V-6 engine with a bocharger. However, customers in this high-end segment also want the sentiment, and have long argued that it requires more cylinders.

"It's not just about going as fast as I can," Long said. "I want some emotion on the way, I want some real sound and rumble, and I want to know, think and say it's V-8 or V-12.v-8s [and] V-12s are generally reserved for very special and interesting products, but v-6s is not in so many premium segments.

Long also mentioned that since the pandemic, there has been a "real revival of the V-8" due to the use cases of Aston's wealthy customers. Aston Martin is generally not the only car at home, Long explains that customers may have EVs for more regular use, keeping V-8 cars around for their "sound, noise, vibration, etc.""

Stricter emissions standards have caused even high-end brands to take a closer look at electrification and smaller engines, but Long isn't the only one hesitant about this trend. Lamborghini is expected to launch its first EV in 2028, but CEO Stephan Winkelmann says the demand for electric supercars is still just beginning, so it is not one of the brand's traditional supercars 1.

Even Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of electric hypercar builder Rimac, sees the future of big engines. As head of Rimac and Bugatti's parent company, he is currently overseeing the launch of a successor to the Bugatti Chiron with the V-16 hybrid powertrain. And he says Rimac's future lies in breakthrough technology — not just EVs.