Aston Martin Reportedly Working On Hybrid I-6 to Replace AMG-Borrowed V8
The engine could possibly power the brand’s upcoming DBX crossover as well as the DB11 and Vantage.
Even though recent Aston Martins have enjoyed engine donations courtesy of Mercedes-AMG—a benefit of being partly owned by Daimler—a recent report suggests that the British car firm is developing a new, comparable powertrain of its own.
According to Autocar, Aston is currently working on a new inline-six powerplant that may be coupled to a hybrid system to eventually replace the twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 it gets from AMG. The in-house I-6 will apparently help Aston Martin meet more stringent emissions regulations and find its first home under the hood of the upcoming DBX SUV.
While technical details on the future six-cylinder are scarce, Autocar speculates that the mill could be a derivation of the company's 5.2-liter V12 (that'd just be a matter of slicing the V in half, right?) and use hybrid tech taken from the Rapide E electric car.
In the meantime, Aston will continue to use AMG-sourced V8s in lieu of its own bespoke powerplants with the DBX set to launch with the option of the aforementioned 4.0-liter or Aston's own V12. The AMG V8 also lives inside the Vantage and the V8 version of the DB11 grand tourer.
On the other side of the power spectrum, the brand recently released details on its 1,000-horsepower, 11,100-rpm, 6.5-liter V12 that'll power the $3.3 million Valkyrie hybrid hypercar. Developed in collaboration with Cosworth, that beast of a motor is said to be "loosely derived" from the engine used in 2010's Williams F1 car.
If electrified straight-sixes are what the EPA wants Aston to build so they're allowed to also do stuff like this, bring 'em on.