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Nick Carey

GAYDON (Reuters) – Aston Martin launched Wednesday the last fossil-fuel V12 Vantage sportscar. All vehicles have been snapped up by the British luxury carmaker before it begins its transition to electric.

Lawrence Stroll (Aston Martin Executive Chairman and Investor) stated that the V12 Vantage was a swan song. This V12 Vantage has a rich history at Aston Martin, dating back many decades. It will be our last…before we transition to electrification or hyrbidization.”

Aston Martin will launch the first electric vehicle of its kind in 2025. It also stated that all future car models would be available with an electric option by 2026.

The fictional secret agent James Bond was unhappy with the choice of car manufacturer after it went public in 2018. It didn’t meet expectations and lost money. It received new investment in 2020 from billionaire Stroll.

Stroll’s two first new cars are the V12 Vantage (a premium SUV) and the DBX707 (a V12 Vantage).

Aston Martin has been using technology from shareholder Mercedes-Benz to build its cars. Mercedes-Benz increased its stake in Aston Martin in 2020.

This petrol-powered V12 Vantage from the carmaker is only limited to 333 worldwide units and has a price starting at around $300,000. Stroll stated that the vehicle was triple oversubscribed.

The Vantage was created by Aston Martin in 2007, when it crammed its most powerful engine inside its smallest car.

According to the carmaker, this latest version offers an “intoxicating combination” of powerful low- and mid-range muscle with superior top-end performance and top speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.

In 2021, premium and luxury vehicle sales rose, particularly in China and the United States. This was due to pandemic travel restrictions that left more money for wealthy customers.