What's this then?
This is the RapidE - an all-electric Aston Martin super-saloon, unveiled at Lancaster House in London, which not-at-all coincidentally happens to be the venue for a meeting between the visiting Chinese premier Xi Jinping and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (that's Wills and Kate to you and I).
Co-developed with Williams Engineering (yes, the F1 team Williams) the RapidE has been designed as a showcase for British design and engineering and as a lure for Chinese investment. Aston is due to have talks with ChinaEquity about investing in the sports car maker.
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."
Aston reckons that, with the right investment in place, the car could be brought to market within two years.
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 show's 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."
Neil Briscoe - 21 Oct 2015