The all-new Aston Martin RapidE electric concept car unveiled

Aston Martin has taken the wraps off a new plug-in electric concept car. The RapidE, unveiled on Wednesday at London's Lancaster House in order to coincide with the visit of China's president Xi Jinping, could be on sale before the end of next year.

In recent months, the British brand has been talking up the idea of a plug-in super sedan based on its existing four-door GT, but this week it has gone one better with an actual working concept, developed in partnership with UK firm and Formula E supplier Williams Advanced Engineering and now investment from ChinaEquity.

"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," said Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer. "The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin towards developing low- and zero-emission sports cars."

A Chinese investment group, ChinaEquity is going to help Aston Martin bring the RapidE to market, initially in China, within the next two years. Demand for plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid cars is growing in China, especially among the higher echelons of the market, but it isn't growing quickly enough. The government is examining a number of ideas and initiatives to quickly boost demand for cleaner cars.

"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," said Chairman Chaoyong Wang of ChinaEquity. "We feel confident that there are significant opportunities for electric cars in China and the world."

Aston Martin is still being coy as to what exactly a production version of the RapidE would deliver. Nevertheless the company is expected to build two versions: one with 500bhp and rear-wheel drive and a flagship four-wheel-drive, 1000bhp model that could deliver performance over and above anything one of its traditional V12 engines could deliver.

At the Geneva motor show in March Aston Martin unveiled a crossover concept called the DBX, which had a full electric powertrain and signaled a new exterior design direction for the brand. And, at the Frankfurt motor show in September, Porsche unveiled the Mission E concept. Like the RapidE, it is a four-door GT car and one that has four-wheel drive and an electric motor and it is also earmarked for production within the next two years.