Aston Martin delays the launch of its first BEV
After promising what would be the “world’s most thrilling and highly desirable” EV, luxury automaker Aston Martin says that it is pushing back its plan to launch its first BEV by a year due to what it says is “low consumer demand.” Guess those thrills will have to wait.
The UK automaker says it will now launch its first battery-electric sports car in 2026, a year later than scheduled, reports Automotive News Europe.
Last June, Aston Martin announced that it was launching four new all-electric cars in four years, starting in 2025 – and relying on Lucid’s EV technology to make it happen. Aston Martin said it was working toward building “the world’s most thrilling and highly desirable electric performance cars,” with access to Lucid’s proprietary EV powertrain technology, including its high-performance twin motor unit, battery tech, and Wunderbox charging system (including those used in the 516-mile EPA-est. Lucid Air Grand Touring). The partnership with Lucid has been estimated to be worth more than $450 million.
But times have changed, the company has said, and now it is shifting gears – or perhaps more fairly, pressing pause.
“The consumer demand (for BEVs), certainly at an Aston Martin price point, is not what we thought it was going to be two years ago,” executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said today, as the company released its 2023 results.
The way he sees it, there is “much more driven demand” for plug-in hybrid vehicles, especially for a brand like Aston Martin. He added that consumers “want some electrification … but to still have the sports car smell and feel and noise.”
According to the report, Stroll isn’t sweating fierce competition from BYD either, saying that he is “happy with the battery technology and platforms available to the company.”
Aston Martin has already sunk a hefty 2 billion pounds ($2.53 billion) to push new technologies over the next five years and shift away from ICE to BEV technology. The company added that it plans to invest 350 million pounds in new product development in 2024.
Mercedes-Benz, too, is delaying its goal to sell only electric cars by five years, telling investors it plans to invest more in ICE.
In looking at the earnings report, Aston Martin’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization rose 58% to 174.8 million pounds in the fourth quarter, reports Automotive News Europe. A $33 million payment to Lucid Group played a role in cash flow in that quarter as well, and for the year the company reported an operating loss of 111 million pounds.
Production of its new quarter-of-a-million-dollar DB12 sports car was off to a slower start than planned, due to supply issues and problems with the infotainment systems, but now that is full steam ahead. By the end of March, the company says it expects to have the order books full for the new car through the rest of the year – and Aston Martin’s first hybrid supercar, Valhalla, is on course to enter production this year.
Well, this certainly begs the question, will the next James Bond be driving that electric Aston Martin we were dreaming about?
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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