Aston Martin Partners With Chinese Tech Giant, New EV Model On Its Way

Aston Martin signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Letv, a Chinese technology company specialized in streaming services and smart devices for the development of connected electric vehicles.

The collaboration has been in the works since April, with the two companies to work together “on research projects ranging from connected car technologies through to manufacturing consultation on new electric vehicles.”

It’s no secret the British automaker is working on electric cars, with the recently revealed RapidE concept to be the first car to feature some of Letv’s developed connected technologies when it reaches production.

An Aston Martin source also told Autocar that this new collaboration could result in Letv’s first production model being built in Aston’s factory, revealing the potential of this agreement.

“We see the connected vehicles as a vital part of our future product portfolio and welcome Letv as a research partners in this exciting venture”, said CEO Andy Palmer. “Both the Chinese and British governments have taken meaningful steps to encourage the widespread adoption of zero emission technologies, and we look forward to utilizing our expertise not only for our RapidE cars, but also in providing manufacturing assistance, through our consulting capability, to Letv.”

Palmer is looking into opening a new plant in order to build the production version of the DBX, the company’s first crossover which will probably be offered in an all-electric guise next to the petrol-powered version.