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Aston Martin Valhalla Unleashed: The 1064bhp Hybrid Supercar Takes Monaco by Storm
Final specifications for brand's first plug-in hybrid revealed as it gears up to battle the Ferrari SF90
The Aston Martin Valhalla has made its public debut, taking to the streets of Monaco ahead of the grand prix weekend.
The long-awaited supercar has the highest torque output of any Aston Martin yet, with its V8 plug-in-hybrid powertrain kicking out 811lb ft of torque and 1064bhp – the latter figure outpunching the rival Ferrari SF90 and Lamborghini Revuelto.
Its 4.0-litre flat-plane-crank V8 (supplied by Mercedes-AMG) contributes some 817bhp of that total, supplemented by 248bhp from a trio of electric motors - two radial-flux devices on the front axle and a starter-generator in the eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Officially, the Valhalla will get from 0-62mph in just 2.5sec and top out at an electronically limited 217mph, making it one of the quickest combustion-engined cars on sale.
Just 999 examples of the Valhalla will be built, priced from £850,000 (including VAT), although Gaydon expects "a huge number" of cars to go through its Q personalisation programme, so some will cost well in excess of that figure.
Deliveries will begin in the second half of this year.
Aston Martin Valhalla: everything you need to know
Notably, the Valhalla – unlike the 2019 concept which preceded it – is not powered by a bespoke, Aston Martin-developed V6, as was originally planned. Instead, the Valhalla follows the Aston Martin Vantage in adopting a powertrain supplied by technical partner Mercedes-AMG – specifically the performance division's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which revs to 7200rpm and drives the rear axle through an all-new bespoke eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Like AMG's old GT Black Series, the Valhalla's V8 features a flat-plane crank and is said to be "the most advanced, responsive and highest-performing V8 engine ever fitted to an Aston Martin". It also breathes through a lightweight exhaust system that exits through the top of the rear deck and contains adjustable flaps that give "an authentic Aston Martin sound character".
Like the Ferrari SF90, the Valhalla uses only its front electric motors to drive in EV mode, which it can do for eight miles and at speeds of up to 80mph, but in normal driving situations, electric power is split across both axles as needed to supplement the V8's output.
It reverses exclusively in electric mode, too, saving weight by negating the need for a conventional reverse gear in the eight-speed DCT, which has been fitted with an electronic limited-slip differential to improve traction and agility and can offer up two gears at once to allow the EV and combustion motors to operate in tandem.
Housing the all-new powertrain is a bespoke carbonfibre tub that gives "maximum stiffness with minimum weight penalty". A dry weight of just 1655kg gives a power-to-weight ratio of 643bhp per tonne, while aerodynamic-enhancing bodywork elements – including huge venturi channels underneath and an active front splitter and rear wing – inspired by the Valkyrie's F1-style set-up are claimed to generate 600kg of downforce at 150mph.
Pushrod suspension features at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear, with dampers and springs mounted inboard to reduce unsprung mass, The entire set-up is stiffened and “dramatically” lowered in Track mode and can be raised at low speed to clear speed bumps.
By using more subtle bodywork elements to enhance downforce, Aston's designers were given free rein for the overall silhouette, without the need for such dramatic wings, intakes and outlets as on the Valkyrie. The design is much cleaner, more overtly road-focused and extensively altered from that of the concept.
The prominent roof scoop, forward-hinged dihedral doors, swooping rear deck and one-piece rear wing remain, but a completely new treatment for the front, rear and side bring the supercar into line with its more mainstream siblings.
A wraparound version of Aston's trademark grille features at the front, for example, below larger, rounder matrix LED headlights, while the rear diffuser has been heavily toned down for a more production-friendly set-up. There is a more angular-looking side skirt, too, sharper side vent designs and, obviously, wing mirrors, which were absent from the show car.
The production-spec wheels, meanwhile, are 20in in diameter at the front and 21in at the rear and wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres.
Inside the Valhalla offers a “pared back cockpit design with clear, simple ergonomics unashamedly focused around the driver”, Aston said, complete with a squared steering wheel – near-identical to the Valkyrie's – and a pair of screens for the gauges and infotainment.
It's more spacious and civilised than its sibling, though, with additions such as an infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone air conditioning, a rear-view camera and a raft of advanced driver aids strengthening its on-road credentials.
Chief creative officer Marek Reichman explained how the Valhalla’s different positioning from the Valkyrie necessitated a unique design approach: “When we created the Valhalla concept, we were keen to emphasise the design legacy of the Valkyrie, and that intent remains unchanged, but the execution has evolved considerably in order to reach production of this all-new car.
"Though the legacy of the Valkyrie is clear, the Valhalla is now a more mature, fully resolved piece of design.”
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Revving Up Tradition: The Mini John Cooper Works Takes on Modern Challenges
One of the last petrol hot hatches standing faces our timing gear If someone had asked you a few years ago what would be the last two traditional supermini-based hot hatches to remain on sale, you might have guessed the Renault Clio RS and Ford Fiesta ST, or even the Hyundai i20 N. Would your money have been on the Mini John Cooper Works and the Volkswagen Polo GTI? Probably not.It says something about the sheer momentum of big groups like BMW and Volkswagen. The petrol hot hatch has become a sufficiently marginalised kind of car that an entirely new one would struggle to get board approval: bad for the CO2 quotas in Europe, not popular enough outside it. But there’s no major reason for Volkswagen to stop making the Polo GTI just yet, and a JCW version has sneaked onto the price list of the refreshed Mini Cooper.This fourth-generation (not counting the Issigonis cars) Mini, then, builds on its predecessor from 2013, using the same UKL platform and the same engines and gearboxes. The styling is brought in line with the EV’s much cleaner look and the interior gets the same minimalist makeover, so this F66-generation Cooper is more than just a facelift. That there is a fast version is something to be upbeat about, but is it any good?
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Peugeot e-3008: The Game-Changer in Electric SUVs
Mid-sized SUV introduces a platform that’s destined for millions of Stellantis EVs Like its Stellantis sibling brands, Peugeot has until recently had to accept the limitations of available platform technology when launching electric models.Its parent organisation’s e-CMP architecture has been scaled up as far as smaller crossovers and VW Golf-sized hatchbacks and estates, having started out beneath the e-208 supermini in 2019. But while rivals dived enthusiastically into niches for bigger electric cars, Peugeot has had to bide its time and wait for a more suitable launchpad.With the Peugeot e-3008 tested here, the French brand’s moment has finally arrived. Based on a brand-new platform called STLA Medium, the e-3008 will be the first of many new cars from Stellantis’s brands aimed at buyers of more upscale electric family cars.This is the slightly smaller, swoopier, five-door SUV-coupé sibling to the forthcoming e-5008 seven-seater and has its sights set on everything from the Renault Scenic E-Tech and Hyundai Ioniq 5 to the BMW iX2 and Volvo EC40.The e-3008 clearly represents another significant stretch upmarket for Peugeot in terms of digital technology, luxury cabin ambience and visual appeal. It also brings the potential for greater range, better performance and faster rapid charging than any of the firm’s smaller EVs, So far the 3008 has been riding a wave of success with 130,000 units sold across the continent, with the e-3008 making up almost 25% of the share. For those potential buyers who were feeling left out because they need four-wheel drive and more than 300bhp, Peugeot has added a more powerful, all-wheel drive version. Taking the 3008 and e-3008 ranges as a whole, the car covers a reasonable amount of market territory, offering regular hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric models. Only when the upper- level e-3008 Long Range joins the line-up in 2025 will we know the car’s upper limit on price.Buyers can choose between lower-rung Allure and upper-level GT models throughout the range. GT trim typically adds 20in wheels, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights and a powered tailgate.The Dual Motor variant will arrive in Launch Edition trim in the summer but pricing for the warmed-up e-3008 is yet to be confirmed.
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The Electric Vehicle Dilemma: How Rising Costs Threaten Independent Rental Firms
Insurance, chargers and resale costs make EVs pricey for indie firms
Electric vehicles could spell the end of independent vehicle rental companies, a leading family-owned UK firm has warned, amid a wider backdrop of waning demand for EVs generally among hire companies.
Kendall Cars, a rental group with 14 branches in the south-east and a fleet of 1500 vehicles, says businesses like it are closing partly because of the high insurance costs associated with electric cars.
Group managing director Mark Kendall said: “Like a lot of smaller hire companies we self-insure our cars to keep our rates low, but EVs are high risk, and a lot of hire companies are giving up because they calculate that as their proportion of EVs increases, they won’t be able to afford to cover them.
“The national rental firms are stepping in by ignoring the retail market and renting the vehicles to business customers, who put them on their company insurance. But rental firms like ours can’t survive by ignoring retail customers.”
Underlying Kendall’s comments is a lack of enthusiasm in general for EVs among rental firms, which are also worried about the high cost of installing chargers and limited rental demand.
His prediction that firms will close won’t please car makers, which sell thousands of cars to the rental sector and regard it as a convenient safety net when other areas of the market are depressed. For example, in 2024 there were 228,000 rental vehicles on the road, an increase of 21% since 2020.
“Rental has always been a release valve for car makers wishing to sell cars, and although there is some [demand] for EVs, it remains low,” said Adam Forshaw of UK rental and leasing trade body BVRLA. The main issue for his members is installing chargers. “This is expensive for rental firms and there are no financial or tax incentives for their customers to choose an EV over a petrol or diesel car,” he said.
Kendall agrees that charging his EVs is a costly headache. He said: “We’ve just installed four expensive charge points at our Wimbledon branch but, elsewhere, when customers return our EVs with very little charge – as many do – we have to drive to a charge point, which costs us time and money.”
He added: “To encourage customers to recharge their cars, we’ve had to impose a £50 surcharge when the battery’s return level is below 50%.”
Kendall’s experience of rental EVs raises other issues. Like many independent rental firms, his company buys its cars new for cash and the aim is to resell them later for a good price. But that’s not possible with EVs, he said: “We can get good discounts on new electric cars – a lot more than for the petrol and diesel vehicles we also buy – but they lose a lot of money very quickly. For this reason, I prefer to buy used ones.”
However, Kendall’s biggest challenge is keeping rates competitive at a time of rising costs. “We’ve had to increase our rates by 5% but that’s nothing compared with the increases in operating costs and new car prices that we’ve had to absorb,” he said. “To help boost revenue, for the first time we’ve introduced a collision damage waiver fee of £10.”
This challenge has been seen Europe-wide, according to Tom Dickinson, head of commercial at Zest, a car hire broker. He said: “Rental prices haven’t kept pace with the rising costs of purchasing, maintaining and repairing vehicles, as well as increasing operational expenses.”
Dickinson warned that UK holidaymakers need to watch out for expensive add-ons as rental firms battle to keep rates down.
He said: “For example, across 11 major airports, the average daily vehicle rental this year is £47 compared with £55 in 2024. While this may appear benefi cial to consumers, to compensate for lower rental prices some car hire companies may resort to aggressive upselling of insurance and upgrades or infl ate damage and repair charges. UK holidaymakers should book their rental with reputable companies offering proper insurance cover to protect their excess.”
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