Aston Martin delays roll-out of its first fully-electric vehicle - as damning figures show car production fell 14% in last year

Aston Martin has delayed the roll-out of its first fully-electric vehicle in the latest sign that the switch from petrol and diesel to battery cars is stalling.

The British firm said its battery electric vehicle (BEV), previously set to be launched in 2026, was now planned ‘for the latter part of this decade’.

It comes as the wider industry struggles with the transition to electric amid lack of demand from motorists and tough regulations pushing car makers to go green.

Aston Martin, best known for making the cars driven by fictional spy James Bond, said the delay was being made ‘in response to customer feedback and evolving customer dynamics’.

As a result, it will instead focus on plug-in hybrids - battery-powered vehicles with a back-up petrol engine - for the time being.

It is the latest delay to the electrification plans, after the company previously pushed back the launch from 2025 to 2026.

Aston Martin’s big spending customers are prepared to shell out more than £200,000 on average to get behind the wheel of the 007 cars.

But executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said last year that demand for fully-electric versions of the marque had been lower than it had expected, with many still wanting to hear the throaty roar of a powerful internal combustion engine rather than the hum of a battery.

Aston Martin insists it is still committed to the launch of a BEV but is moving at the pace of its customers. Insiders believe that petrolhead fans of its conventional cars will be among the last motorists to embrace the switch to electric.

The shift comes as chief executive Adrian Hallmark tries to get the struggling carmaker back on track - as it yesterday revealed a £289 million loss for last year, amid supply chain issues and tough trading in China.

It is also cutting 170 jobs, or five per cent of its workforce, as it aims to slash costs.

Separately, industry figures today show the wider industry suffered a renewed slump at the start of the year, with car production falling to 71,104 units in January, 14 per cent down on last year.

It suggests there is still no sign of recovery after production shrank by 14 per cent in 2024.

The decline at the start of this year was partly due to continued disruption caused by the switch to new electric models, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

It said there had been a ‘slower than anticipated rollout of new models’ amid ‘softening demand in the UK and other key markets’.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: ‘UK vehicle producers face a perfect storm of global trade uncertainty, challenging manufacturing conditions and a market transition which is proving tougher than expected.’

UK car makers are also under pressure to meet government environmental targets. The targets mean that an increasing proportion of vehicles they sell in the UK must be electric but some firms have struggled to comply.

The rules were blamed by the industry when Vauxhall last year announced the closure of its Luton plant putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.

Nissan has said they risk undermining the case for making cars in the UK and could have an ‘irreversible impact’ on the sector.

Aston Martin is exempt from the rules as it sells a relatively small number of vehicles.