A 4-Cylinder Aston Martin Won't Happen, But An AM Tesla Roadster Rival Might

Speaking to Auto Express, CEO Andy Palmer did admit that Gaydon “could come down to a V6,” but ruled out going for anything smaller. “I have no objection to the principle of engines that are smaller and in a V configuration, in fact, but in-line four-cylinder or three-cylinder units? No. I don’t think we’ll see an Aston Martin with a combustion engine that has any fewer than six cylinders,” he said.

Fully electric models are inevitable, however, with Aston Martin due to put the plug-in RapidE into production next year. More intriguing though is the potential for a compact, expensive and stupidly fast EV sports car. In other words, a Tesla Roadster rival, which Palmer dubs as “possible.”

“The interesting thing is that the other three key components of any electric car – weight, aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance – are areas sports car manufacturers, and us in particular, are really good at mastering,” he said, adding, “That puts us at an advantage over other brands who are making some big claims – such as Tesla, with a lightweight roadster.”

If it does happen, we’ll be waiting a while. Aston has currently planned for a new model each year up until 2022, so a potential Tesla Roadster beater wouldn’t be here until 2023 at the earliest.