Aston Martin will put its Toyota iQ-based Cygnet city car into production at its Gaydon headquarters next year. The smallest Aston ever is based on iQs built in Japan by Toyota, which are then specially imported to the UK for Aston.
The design and build work of the Cygnet is carried out at Gaydon; Aston has incorporated much of its design language into the iQ, including its signature front grille.
See the official pics of the Aston Martin Cygnet
Aston CEO Ulrich Bez, who has faced criticism for the Cygnet, defended its creation, saying it’s been primarily designed to help Aston lower its fleet average CO2 emissions in face of strict upcoming EU legislation.
“Aston Martin is honest and we don’t make compromises,” he said. “Whatever we do, we do it right. If we do performance, we do performance; we won’t downsize our sports cars. “The Cygnet needs to satisfy the demands of emissions and space. It is a car without compromise, just like every other Aston Martin."
Read more on the Aston Martin Cygnet
Aston design chief Marek Reichman said the Cygnet buying and ownership experience would be identical to that of a regular Astons and quality would not be compromised by size. All of Astons interior materials available on its other models - including hides and metals - would be offered on the Cygnet, too. "Luxury is not constrained by scale," he said. "The world is changing, the environment is changing - Aston Martin needs to change."
The Cygnet will only initially be available to existing Aston owners and is expected to cost between £30000-£50,000. Aston will confirm full Cygnet pricing and specification later this year.
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Re: Aston Cygnet on sale next year
For a squat, dumpy, overweight city car Aston's designers did a fine job injecting it with some degree of elegance and proportion: the grille, the recessed AM door handles, reinstating a glass roof lost by Toyota from concept to production car, generally giving the interior serious character and durability. Can we expect a turbo version soon?
Yes, in this day and age of clever, cutting edge automobile design it is a mass of contradictions as a daily eco-drive, but then again so is an Aston V8 Vantage when compared to a Lotus Elise - two entirely different philosophies. You want a padded Chesterfield for your club seat, you have it. If you prefer a plastic stacking chair, go elsewhere.
Re: Aston Cygnet on sale next year
The issue I have is with the styling. You know when people take an ordinary car like the Toyota MR2 for example and convert it to look a bit like a Ferrari, well this car reminds me of that. It looks like a cheap imitation, the trouble is it's not cheap. It still looks too much like a Toyota with an after market conversion and for that I cannot forgive it.
Re: Aston Cygnet on sale next year