Engineering giant Bosch and British luxury car maker Aston Martin have teamed up to produce a plug-in hybrid variant of the DB9 sports car. It is not a secret that Aston is indeed thinking of hybrids for its future cars, but they are not yet ready to face the challenge head on, hence the partnership with Bosch.
The car looks pretty normal, save a few stickers on the sides. Even when you lift the hood you may not notice all the hybrid bits and bobs because of the great packaging. But this DB9 has a pretty unique setup.
Because the V12 engine is located behind the front axle, Bosch engineers had plenty of room to play. So they hooked it up to an electric motor, and connected them to the front wheels. That makes this DB9 Aston’s first -ever all-wheel-drive vehicle. Together, the V12 and the electric motor make 740 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.
The car is still in the early stages of testing, and economy and performance figures are yet to be revealed, but Aston reckons the DB9 hybrid will be 10 percent quicker than the standard car. It will also offer up to 16 miles of emission-free electric drive.
The DB9 plug-in hybrid also showcases Bosch’ latest electronic systems such as torque vectoring and a new stability program that offers different driving settings, including safe, sport, drift, and custom. We’d put it in drift mode all the time!
