Back in March 2019, when tabloids were pumping out Bond 25 (‘No Time To Die’) rumours, one that caught the fandom’s attention was the idea of Q-Branch issuing an electric car to 007. 

Whilst the rumour was just that, and despite the film featuring a host of Aston Martin cars, Bond’s marque of choice did announce plans for an electric vehicle. Today, the company announced that they are “delaying the launch of its first electric car because of a lack of consumer demand” as record prices for its luxury and special edition models helped the British carmaker shrink annual losses.

Aston Martin is now targeting the launch of its battery electric vehicle (BEV) in 2026, a year later than planned – becoming the latest automaker to push back electrification goals as investment in capacity and technology has outpaced EV demand.

“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 told journalists.

Stroll said there was “much more driven demand” for plug-in hybrid vehicles, especially for a company like Aston Martin, as people “want some electrification … but (to) still have the sports car smell and feel and noise”.

Aston Martin’s first hybrid supercar, Valhalla (which was planned to feature in ‘No Time To Die’ but is only seen in the wind tunnel at MI6) is on course to enter production this year.