In a bid to save costs and reduce development lead times, Aston Martin will reportedly be dipping into Geely’s parts bin for its future electric vehicles.
As announced earlier this week, the Gaydon-based luxury sportscar manufacturer’s future EVs will be utilising electric motors and batteries from Lucid Motors, while Mercedes-Benz will also still continue supplying its combustion engines, hybrid motors, and electronic controllers. But powertrains are just one part of the equation; there are still hundreds, if not thousands of other equipment that are required to build a complete “car” – and that’s where Geely steps in.
As reported by Autocar UK, Geely, who recently upped its stake in Aston Martin to 17%, will be supplying several components for the British marque’s future models, including the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system and powered seats, according to Aston Martin’s head of development, Roberto Fedeli.
Speaking to the publication, Fedeli adds that the company will try to source “everything we can get from a wide shelf of components” to help get the new models to market faster. Aston Martin’s relationship with Geely could help cut its supplier list by as much as 30%.
READ MORE: Aston Martin is going electric – EV motors and batteries to be supplied by Lucid Motors
Aside from Aston Martin, Geely also owns or holds a stake in several other automotive marques including Volvo, Lotus, Lynk & Co, Smart, and more familiarly to us Malaysians, Proton.
The part-sharing agreements are a big part of chairman Lawrence Stroll’s plan to turn the company around, which the Canadian businessman says is largely complete. In addition to the business restructure, Stroll has also invested over GBP1.5 billion into growing the company and its surrounding businesses, including the Aston Martin F1 team.
