Aston Martin has unveiled its RapidE concept, a fully electric concept of its Rapide S four-door sports saloon, during a state visit between Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and President of The People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping.

The new RapidE concept has been developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering. During the event, Aston Martin and Chinese investment group, ChinaEquity, announced an agreement to explore the development of a production version of the RapidE concept. If successful, the new luxury sports car would be constructed at Aston Martin's global HQ and could be brought to market in around two years.

Aston Martin CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer, said, "We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of study for the project development. The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin towards developing low and zero-emission sports cars."

On the signing of this agreement, Chairman Chaoyong Wang of ChinaEquity said, "We are delighted that Aston Martin not only provides a high-performance driving experience to customers, but also shows their social responsibility by showcasing a new generation of electric car with zero emissions. We are excited to participate in the development of the RapidE and to make a contribution to Sino-British clean energy and green environmental strategy. We feel confident that there are significant opportunities for electric cars in China and the world."