Aston Martin RapidE confirmed for production with partner LeEco

British luxury car-maker Aston Martin has confirmed the production version of the RapidE concept, a fully electric concept of its Rapide S four-door sports sedan, unveiled in London last October. Aston Martin signed a deal Wednesday (Feb. 17) with leading global technology company LeEco for the production version in Germany.

Aston Martin's alliance with LeEco and Faraday Future, a US-based Chinese-backed company dedicated to electric vehicle manufacturing, will lead to the production version of the RapidE to be unveiled by 2018.

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said: "Aston Martin is dedicated to developing a range of low- and zero-emission cars. We have been encouraged by the project speed and technical depth shown by LeEco in the development of the RapidE concept towards full production."

The RapidE concept has been developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering at Grove, Oxfordshire. For the uninitiated, Williams Advanced Engineering is the engineering services arm of Williams' Formula 1 team.

The car showcased in London in October 2015 came with a mysterious black box in place of its 6-litre V12 engine.

Aston Martin and LeEco also announced their agreement would be expanded for a range of next-generation electric vehicles from both companies as well as Faraday Future.