As strange as it may sound, this is Aston Martin's new premium mini car, the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet. The British supercar maker had previewed the Cygnet earlier this year with a clay-covered prototype, but these are the first official photos of the production-ready concept model.
T
he Cygnet looks like the iQ because that's what it is; a retrimmed Toyota. Aston Martin's designers essentially took numerous design cues from their sports cars like the trademark grille and air-vents and applied them on the small Toyota without making any other changes on the car's shape.
Unique styling features on the outside are limited to the pop-up handles, reshaped front and rear bumpers, specific head and tail lamps, and newly designed multispoke alloy wheels.
The same goes for the Cygnet's cabin which has been adorned with premium materials and different trim, but other than that, it retains the iQ's basic architecture and design.
Aston Martin chose not to release any information on the car's hardware, but it is believed that the iQ's 1.33-liter petrol engine will be carried over to the Cygnet.
The firm's plan is to initially sell the Cygnet to current and future Aston Martin owners with a general release to follow at a later date.
Aston Martin said that it will continue to develop the Cygnet, but expects to have the car into production and on sale in the UK and Europe before the end of 2010.
Even though the Cygnet is nothing more than a more premium Toyota with DB9 styling cues, the mini will get an Aston Martin price tag, estimated to be somewhere around £20,000 or about $32,000 - €22,000 at today's exchange rates.
Aston Martin Cygnet
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Toyota iQ
39 Comments:
I did not expect an IQ to look that good, except the wheels which could have been a larger.
dumbest thing i have ever seen
in ugly car top 3 it would come second after Porsche Panamera
^ Better looking than that four-door, stretch mess AM is currently flogging…
Great tuning of Toyota iQ that Aston Martin done
Why the hell did it have to carry the Aston badge! what about "Smarston"? or anything else...
Okay now THIS is a crime against humanity.
Ok,April Fool's has long been over...you can quit it now Aston-Martin,no one is laughing anymore.
WHAT THE F**K?!!?
Boo!
Dilution of the brands' name.
For 2011, expect Ferrari to forge a joint venture thought Chrysler/Fiat to release a Voyager-based 'sports minivan'.
Has the world gone fucking insane?!
Are they playing a really cruel joke on the credibility of Aston Martin with this? I'm waiting on someone jumping out shouting April fools day.
porsche is hesitant on a 914 revival because it may "dilute the brand", but aston can get away with rebadged jap-crap? this thing is plain automotive FAIL.
the poor, POOR man's aston martin.
We want a fast version of the iQ. Why couldn't Toyota just give us a fast iQ?
We wanted an entry level Aston Martin. Why couldn't Aston Martin give us a slightly more affordable car?
So what do we get from this little experiment? A Toyota that isn't anywhere near as fast as an Aston Martin, and an Aston Martin that's FWD, has less than 100 hp, and is just a fluffed up Toyota!
You guys are 'sticks in the mud'. I think it's GREAT!! And you better get used to it. What you're looking at is the FUTURE.
What a fabulous interior. Nothing in the price range stated has this kind of quality. I want one.
"You guys are 'sticks in the mud'. I think it's GREAT!! And you better get used to it. What you're looking at is the FUTURE."
People like you are called "uncritical ass bags" who are easily excitable and get distracted by shiny things because of your short attention span.
The future is not FWD cars from happless ordinary automakers sold with badges from more prestrigious automakers. That is a dead-end for hopeless dolts like you, you prolefed git.
Wow this is a gamble for A.M...The interior is quite hideous... And whoever put the iPhone cradle in FRONT of the nav screen should be shot...Besides not every git in the world wants an iPhone... Overall it looks like what it is - a cheap tiny car... No thanks
Daretoku? (it means "Who can get the benefits?" in Japanese.)
"You guys are 'sticks in the mud'. I think it's GREAT!! And you better get used to it. What you're looking at is the FUTURE."
You speak the truth! I dont think any of you are realizing the "chick-factor" Im sure rich girls will think its adorable and drive them all over the city not giving a damn about pedigree. I think they're gonna make a killing on these. If you live in rich urban centers, get used to seeing these.
Looks sweet! now how do you squeeze the Aston Martin V-12 into that thing? lol
Just dont get it. Why do Aston need this car? I know they were saying sumthin about existing Aston Martin owners buying and using this as a runaround but I dont think even they would really want one.
I now that it is ugly but the sadest part is that people will buy it just like the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne, becose of the Astons badge.
"The future is not FWD cars from happless ordinary automakers sold with badges from more prestrigious automakers." (Whose excitable? ... and can't spell).
The future is bicycles, scooters, and mass transit.
3Deuce27
"I now that it is ugly but the sadest part is that people will buy it just like the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne, becose of the Astons badge."
I can say honestly I didin't by my Cayenne Turbo "just because of the badge." I suggest you drive one, then we'll talk.
I rented Cayenne Turbo for one week, when i was on my buisnes trip.
And i couldenet notice that it is crap, it is to hevy and not that comfortable. For 90,000 euros you can do better. Range Rover, bmw x6m, x5 5.0i, Mercedes-Benz ML 63....
Throw in a Hyabusa turbo motor along with some flamethrowers and rocket launchers and you would have 007's city car!!
At the very least they should upgrade the engine to put out more horsepower and link it to either a RWD or AWD platform.
"You speak the truth! I dont think any of you are realizing the "chick-factor" Im sure rich girls will think its adorable and drive them all over the city not giving a damn about pedigree. I think they're gonna make a killing on these. If you live in rich urban centers, get used to seeing these."
Women like that are called paris hilton. women like that are those that I want to choke the life out of for infecting the world with their presence and for breathing my air.
Is 007 going to drive it in the next Bond Film?
I think a few people here are missing the point of the objections to this car.
It's not about what looks cute or what will sell, it's about brand identity. Aston Martin is a brand that's associated with very expensive, very good, fast and luxurious cars. Exclusivity is the result.
This may be a very good car (ie well-built, reliable, class-leading etc) but it isn't very expensive (even if buyers are paying a premium over the iQ, on which it's based), very fast or luxurious. Ergo, Aston Martin is no longer exclusive.
As for making a "killing" on these cars, the only way manufacturers make huge profits is by selling hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of a particular model. I doubt that will happen with this car, especially at the mooted price, but if it does then Aston Martin won't be occupying the exclusive territory it does now. That might give it good profits, but probably at the expense of its top models.
In recent times, BMW and Daimler-Benz enjoyed modest success in pushing new smaller models down into the upper segment of the mass market, but not through re-badging someone else's low-end models.
I think it's crazy, but it's the sort of move that over-paid marketing types foist on companies every now and then.
DARTH VADER'S HELMET ON WHEELS!!!!
OK guys here's the thing:
YOu are all right and you are all wrong. Here's why:
First, this is not a car for us. If you had the $30 or $40K for it you wouldn't be able to buy it because you don't own an Aston Martin. So all these comments are moot. Unless of course some of the comments were by AM owners...
Second, it's a city car, which means if you live in a downtown area or densely populated city and need to go to the market [cue laugh], would you take your DB9? No, you'd take this, who cares if it gets banged up, who could tell?
AND third, Aston Martin needed to such a vehicle in its line-up to meet European emissions/CO-2 regulations. So this high-mileage, low emissions car balances the environmental sheet against AM's gas-consuming and possibly-polluting amazingly beautiful sports cars.
So, if anything blame the politicians. Same mentality coming soon to the US, too...
-Jorge
FINALLY! I was thinking of ways throwing away money, and this is the best way to do it, without burning them into the fireplace
It doesn't look that bad. If Aston Martin can manage to calm the wind noise, the bound to happen rattling, and the poor performance that the cheaper Toyota model is bound to have, then it may be worth the time.
Aston Martin would probably be better off fitting it with rear electric motors and the gas engine. Going 0-60 in 10 secs is a Toyota norm for a low-end model. If this could go to 7 or 6.5, then I'd say it's a hit.
LOL sorry all but i gotta say it I LUV IT I WANT ONE would luv to have seen a 1.6 cooper s engine in it though just to make that bit more exciting. But hey who knows might just happen But i Still LUV IT
i like it. i hate it. i like it. i hate it. i like it. i hate it. ilke it. ermm..
I'm disappointed Aston. You should make your own small car from the ground up if you want to add one to your line up. Not a re badge. I guess everyone is doing it though.
I've given up on new cars though, so I don't really care.
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