There are some rumours flying about that suggest Aston Martin is considering a 6 cylinder engine for the first time since 1999. Apparently the Mercedes AMG inline six in currently on the table, with the 429hp 3 liter turbo mild hybrid that just launched in the AMG 53. My only concern is that they may launch this model as a special "heritage" edition and produce them in limited quantity and at an inflated price.

Well that Aston Martin, they can do whatever they want and people will still want to buy one even at inflated prices with limited quantities. I'd be interested in one as well depending on the specs.

I actually like this move a lot because what it means for us is we get a brand that's more focused on other things that matter. One of them being design. I could care less where they get engines from just as long as they are tuned correctly to match what the car is supposed to be about.

Yeah and a mild hybrid powertrain takes us one step closer to the Rapid E. I'm just happy to see that they have interest in offering something other than a V8 for a change. We know that technological improvements are allowing for much higher outputs, from much smaller engines.

This would be a first for AMG as well because from what I can recall, they haven't delved into the world of performance hybrids yet. So the Aston Martin Rapid E could be their first case study and if it works out, we may see more hybrids from them, but that's under the assumption that these rumors are true.

I think its only a matter of time before all performance models transition towards hybrid powertrains. It makes more sense for off the line acceleration, and would help to overcome fuel economy concerns. Although I'm not sure how much a factor that is for those looking at Aston Martins aha. I know Mercedes plans to electrify all of their AMG trims.

IMO the best thing they can do is offer a powertrain that operates similar to how the McLaren P1 does, already some car makers have done something similar and are getting great results. Mix that with the GT car characteristics AM is know for and we'll end up with some great products.