Aston Martin is teaming up with the consumer electronics company LeEco to develop the luxury car brand's first electric vehicle (EV). The RapidE electric car (e-car) will be modeled after the British automaker's Rapide S model and will be followed by other e-cars. Aston Martin is most famous for producing James Bond's cars in Agent 007 movies, while LeEco financially backs the California startup Faraday Future that is developing EVs and self-driving cars.  

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Details about the deal between Aston Martin and LeEco were not announced. Tech giants such as Alphabet's Google and Apple want to partner with automakers to gain their experience in mass-produced automobiles. Meanwhile, car makers want to use tech companies' wireless connectivity to provide their EVs with data including traffic updates.

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer stated in a news conference in Frankfurt on February 17, Wednesday that the partnership moves his car company forward.  The company plans to launch its first electric car in 2018.

Meanwhile, LeEco is often referred to as the "Netflix of China." The consumer electronics company offers web-based content, TV set-top boxes and mobile phones.

Aston Martin's RapidE concept was first showcased last year. It is basically a Rapide sedan that would include an electric powertrain rather than a gas-powered one, according to The Verge.

Lei Ding is co-founder of LeEco's auto division and worked with General Motors and Volkswagen. He stated that about 300 million people visit his company's website. LeEco could advertise the Aston Martin e-car for free and use celebrity endorsements to promote the EV, according to The Guardian

Ding noted that Aston Martin can use its car-manufacturing experience to improve certain aspects of the e-cars including better handling and rides.

China has become the world's largest market for EVs as sales quadrupled in 2015. That was in part due to the government promoting the green cars to reduce smog in the nation's cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

LeEco was formerly Letv. The latter financially supported the startup Faraday Future, which unveiled its first concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month.

Several Chinese companies are trying to develop smart cars and EVs. They include Alibaba, Baidu, and Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp. Beijing (LeEco).

Here's the Aston Martin RapidE concept: