James Bond approaches his iconic Aston Martin, throws off a funny line in the direction of Q, winks to his beautiful companion and starts the engine to... silence?
There's no V8 or V12 roar as the secret agent speeds off through the streets of London on his next adventure, just the pleasant whir of an electric engine transporting 007 to face some improbably named villain.
It may seem unlikely, but according to the head of Aston Martin that's the direction the company is heading in: The famous car brand is targeting a massive boost to its electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030.
"I would say a minimum of 50 percent of our sales will be electric, possibly more," CEO Tobias Moers told the Reuters Events Automotive Summit.
Based on current sales and revenue, that could mean EVs being worth around NZ$1 billion per year to Aston Martin.
The shift in mindset from the luxury car maker started in earnest last year after billionaire Canadian Lawrence Stroll led a US$500 million investment with plans to update the cars using advanced hybrid and EV technology.
Moers had previously announced its first full-electric car would go on sale in 2025, replacing a current model from its range.
It's already moved away from traditional V8 and V12 engines to hybrids, like the 2021 Valkyrie hypercar and the Valhalla, which is set to be released in 2023.
Moers had previously said the firm's other models, including the DB11 and Vantage, would become full EVs in the next generation.
The EVs will have a range of at least 600km, the CEO also said.
Previous plans to bring EVs to the market in 2002 with the Rapide E and a Lagonda-branded EV were dropped when Stroll became executive chairman of Aston Martin last year.
The company's first fully-electric sports car will be followed in either 2025 or 2026 by an electric SUV.
