He has been described as the 'Godfather of EVs' [1] and the 'éminence grise' of the auto industry[2] due to his work launching the Nissan Leaf in 2010 whilst COO at the Japanese company.

[18] Adding to his duties as Program Director, Palmer was named President of Nissan Motor Light Trucks Company Limited in 2003.

"[27][28] At Nissan, Palmer is credited with pioneering new technologies, through his support of the Zeod hybrid Le Mans project and Bladeglider sports car concept.

[29] At the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Palmer said that "it's complete bullshit" to assume that electric vehicles move the CO2 issue to the powerstation.

"[35] In March 2014, Palmer drew attention after Global NCAP tested a number of India's best-selling cars (including the Tata Nano, Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i10) and found their safety lacking.

"I think the people who criticise these cars for not meeting US or European crash standards are living in a dream world," Palmer was quoted by Autocar.

These people today can't afford more, and if we fit safety systems we will drive the prices up and they'll choose the motorbike again.

He has gained recognition for bringing the iconic, albeit perennially loss-making, Aston Martin brand on the path of profitability.

[37][38][39] "From a very early age I wanted to be the CEO of a car company," Palmer told Autocar, "but when I decided to take this one from Nissan, I was pretty sure people would say I was mad.

He "put funding in place to launch one new model at least every year," [41] sanctioned a new logistics center and a new factory in Wales to build the DBX SUV.

[43][38] Drawing on his time working in Japan, Palmer imported various elements of Japanese corporate culture at Aston Martin, including a greater emphasis on teamwork and minimising internal politics.

[44][45] Palmer's tenure at Aston Martin saw the launch of four core car models with nine derivatives; the DB11, Vantage, DBS Superleggera and DBX.

[46] Palmer also oversaw Aston Martin's move towards a mid-engined car bloodline, culminating in the launch of the Valkyrie expected in late 2020.

[50][51] Following the IPO, analysts suggested Palmer had the "toughest job in the industry" and that alongside Brexit and the global automotive slump "blame [for the company's market performance] probably lies with Aston's private equity owners and its multiple advisers for seeking too high a price and encouraging the company to go to market with an excessively hubristic and overwrought script.

Aston's private equity shareholders, the Italian fund Investindustrial and Kuwait's Investment Dar, sold about 25% of their shares in the listing, raking in £1.1bn.

[54][53] Car and Driver noted, "once Lawrence Stroll had taken a substantial stake in the company — one Palmer had fought against — it was clear that change was coming.

"[23] After leaving Aston Martin, Palmer spoke to The Guardian newspaper and reflected on his tenure at the company, commenting "if you tell the story of going from £420m to £2bn, it's an amazing turnaround.

[69][70] In January 2021, Palmer submitted evidence to the parliamentary Science and Technology Select Committee on the role hydrogen can play in reaching Net Zero.

[74] In September 2018, Palmer announced a charitable foundation to fund apprenticeships targeting young people from disadvantaged background.

[92] A few months after taking the helm of Aston Martin, Palmer and his co-drivers, Marek Reichman, Alice Powell and Andrew Frankel, finished 5th overall and 4th in class at the Silverstone Britcar 24-Hour.