Aston Martin Valhalla May Receive A Mercedes-AMG Powertrain, And Why We're Not Surprised

British luxury automaker Aston Martin and German automotive giant Mercedes-Benz are no strangers to inking deals. In 2013, Mercedes claimed five-percent of Aston Martin in return for the former's AMG V8 motors and infotainment system. Last year, Mercedes-Benz got a bigger 20-percent chunk of Aston Martin for the German carmaker's EV technology.

In a recent meeting with investors regarding the brand's 2020 financial results, Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers said the carmaker is still reassessing the new Valhalla hypercar and will probably have a different drivetrain than the concept's hybrid V6 first seen two years ago. Autocar reports the concept's in-house developed hybridized V6 powertrain will give way to a hybrid Mercedes-AMG powertrain, instead.

The excellent news is Aston Martin will stick to Valhalla's mid-2023 launch date. "We will have the Valhalla with us in the second half of 2023, and it's going to be an amazing car with breathtaking technology," said Moers in a report from Autocar. "With the transformational technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz, there are chances for us regarding combustion engines, but we still have an electrified drivetrain."

First revealed in 2019 as the Aston Martin AM-RB 003 concept, Valhalla is the third modern Aston supercar to arrive after the bewildering Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. Valhalla is most notably (and arguably) the best-looking Aston Martin of modern times, befitting of becoming the brand's first production mid-engine hybrid hypercar.

Interested patrons have already placed orders for the new Valhalla since debuting two years ago. Aston Martin is not keen on divulging the actual figures, although the automaker said in 2019 that it got more inquiries from prospective buyers than the 500 build slots allocated to Valhalla. And unlike megabuck hypercars like Bugatti's Chiron, the Valhalla's $1.3-million base price is a bargain given its performance potential, styling, and exclusivity.

Despite the numerous probabilities, Aston Martin will debut a new version of the Valhalla AM-RB 003 concept in the next four months. In related news, Aston Martin is working hard on a plug-in hybrid version of its stunning DBX sport-luxury SUV, destined to arrive by 2024. You can also expect two new variants of the DBX coming later this year and in early 2022.