London announces that Aston Martin has winning bus design

What would a modern take on the old London Routemaster double-decker bus look like? How would it function, and what would power it? One more question: who would design it? The answer to all of these questions has just been answered, and a surprising contender has emerged from an unlikely source: Aston Martin. The manufacturer of beautiful, high-end supercars is apparently branching out to people movers, and we like what we see. The concept calls for a zero-emission drivetrain, but we're unsure of what, exactly, that means. We do see that solar panels have been placed on the roof, so this thing might be electric or a hybrid.

The second winning design is much more traditional, but it also calls for an environmentally-friendly powertrain of some sort. Now that London Mayor Boris Johnson and his crew of judges have weighed in, both next-gen bus designs will be sent out to manufacturers for review. Guess the OnRoute and Freight*BUS concept didn't wow the judges.

[Source: Transport for London]