The partnership with the Chinese electric tech company can go further as Aston Martin seeks to expand its demographic to environmentally-conscious clientele and meet tightening emissions standards the world over.
A report out of Autonews suggests that, beyond building the RapidE by 2018, the British automaker could extend its collaboration with LeEco and, potentially, build the FFZERO1, as Faraday Future is backed by LeEco’s founder Jia Yueting.
Skepticism surrounding Faraday Future has been rife, ever since last month when Nevada authorities ordered $75 million in collateral in relation to a planned plant site in North Las Vegas. The catalyst for this was Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp shares were halted in December.
When asked whether Aston could make the FFZERO1 concept shown at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, CEO Andy Palmer said : “It’s not impossible, but it’s not contracted.”
In addition to the Rapide-based, Tesla Model S-rivalling electric sedan, the two will collaborate on in-vehicle connectivity systems for Aston Martin, as well as potential hybrid and electric variants of the upcoming DBX crossover.
By Mitchell Jones