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The government has launched a consultation on the future of autonomous vehicles, with a view to putting self-driving taxis and buses on the road early next year.

It has invited the public and industry to provide their views on issues such as how to allow firms to run autonomous taxis, considering what safeguards should be put in place if permits need to be withdrawn. It will also call for statements on how to ensure autonomous taxi services are accessible to those who cannot drive, such as the elderly and disabled.

This will inform a pilot scheme for taxi companies to use autonomous vehicles in the UK, without a human back-up to take control if the car makes an error. A wider rollout is planned for mid-2027, when the Automated Vehicles Act comes into force.

The government claims the adoption of autonomous vehicles by taxi firms will create 38,000 jobs, though it is unclear whether that figure takes into account job losses as human drivers are replaced by technology.

“Self-driving vehicles are one of the most exciting opportunities to improve transport for so many people, especially those in rural areas or unable to drive,” said Lilian Greenwood, minister for the future of roads. “We want to work with passengers and industry to make this new form of transport safe and accessible, as we take our next steps towards adoption.”

Autonomous vehicles were first allowed to be tested on public roads across the UK in 2015, and several manufacturers have since tested the technology here. Among the most notable firms has been Nissan, which in March ended trials of a modified fleet of Leaf EVs after eight years. Nissan’s engineering chief, David Moss, called the tests “tremendously successful”, with the cars having covered 16,000 miles across motorways, town centres, residential streets and countryside lanes with no recorded accidents.

Speccing any car is a joyous thing, but the experience enters an altogether higher plane when it’s an Aston Martin hypercar.

Or so you’d think. But what’s the reality? How does that process pan out in practice for a buyer in the rarefied world of exclusive Aston Martins?

To find out, today I’m speccing a Valhalla – the 1000bhp mid-engined plug-in hybrid hypercar that will be launched later this year. Production is limited to 999 examples and personalisation is an integral part of the package.

You can go to your nearest dealer and spec away there, if you want. Or you can travel to Q New York, Japan’s House of Aoyama or, as I have, Aston’s Gaydon HQ to spend time with a dedicated design team to perfect your car.

“When clients join us at Gaydon, they’ll be met by one of our brand specialists, get a tour of the factory, see the production line, and then come in here and spec their car,” says Tom Barker, Aston product manager.

As I walk through to the Gaydon HQ’s courtyard, two mirror-clad speccing rooms sit glinting in the sun. Inside is a screen that cinephiles and gamers would die for: a 7.5m-by-2.5m 5K-resolution LED display, which takes up an entire wall.

Hidden out of sight is a computer with enough grunt to show the Valhalla’s every line, curve and reflection with near-realistic clarity. You can move the car around to see different angles, instantly change colours, materials and details, and even hop inside in milliseconds.

It’s an impressive production, but who’s it there to impress? “Around 50% of the specs we’ve done are conquest customers,” says Barker, who’ll guide me through the speccing process today. Ferrari and Lamborghini types are curious about Aston’s mid-engined V8 effort.

That’s not the only interesting stat. “In terms of male:female split, it’s still early days,” says Barker. “I think it’s probably about 90:10. We have a few more female customers out in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Valhalla buyers all have more than one car and most of them come from the US or Europe. The UK accounts for about 10% of sales.

When you’re choosing your spec, the screen is cool, but if you want to see your colour in the real world, a huge bank of paint, leather, carbonfibre and fabric samples sits behind you.

A Storm Purple top layer for the bodywork looks mighty fine on the screen – and even better in hand under natural light.

Seeing the car almost life-size in front of you makes it clear how much of an impact colour can have on something like the Valhalla. Which leads to the question of ‘elaborate’ specs…

“We’re still Aston Martin,” says Vittorio Gabba, head of personalisation at the company’s ultra-bespoke Q by Aston Martin division, “and we want the car to represent the brand.”

Q has, according to Gabba, played a role in 80% of the Valhallas specced so far. Autocar’s purple beast could have a tinted purple carbon pack on it, custom decals, an off-book paint job or almost anything you can think of, which Q will do its utmost to make happen.

Q is there throughout the process and anything you request as a special order can be rendered separately and sent over for approval.

With the temptation for max luridity (green and purple to terrorise the people of Gotham sure was appealing) resisted, I keep things almost subtle with a black roof, Storm Purple upper and carbon down below.

A carbon grille, with subtle silver decals, and magnesium wheels hiding black brake calipers finish it off nicely.

Inside, rather than opt for tan leather and go full Cadbury, I’m advised that a flatter, lighter colour would work best. Glacier white leather with subtle purple stitching fits the bill. In under an hour, it’s possible to go from start to finish. Some take less, and others longer.

Buttons pressed, renders… rendered. Sadly, that’s as far as my experience goes. Perhaps one of the 999 Valhalla owners will go for my choice of purple. 

By Alex Goy