If you doubted that Aston Martin would actually go through with building a city car, doubt no more. These are the first photos of the Aston Martin Cygnet, which is based on the Toyota iQ (already on sale in Europe and expected to come to the U.S. as a Scion in 2011).
The Cygnet will be sold only in Europe for now. And it will be offered initially only to Aston Martin owners -- a support vehicle for your Vanquish -- but later Aston will open it up to everyone wanting a hatchback that's cheap, cheerful and snooty. Its interior is a great deal more luxurious and flamboyant that any iQ's, though the acreage of leather borders on unsettling in a subcompact. The Cygnet is still likely to be stuck with an everyman's 1.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine so that current Aston owners can, you know, see how the other half lives.
mrryte says:
07:47 AM, 12/16/09
One question:
WHY?!?!?!?!?
billt9 says:
07:51 AM, 12/16/09
i thought they would change the center console to match the rest of the aston martin lineup.
this doesn't look like an aston martin inside.
rsholland says:
08:09 AM, 12/16/09
"WHY?!?!?!?!?"
Because of ever-tightening worldwide government-imposed fuel regulations.
This is just the first of a group of strange cars that we'll likely see in the next few years, by car companies that you would never expect.
sabastian says:
08:11 AM, 12/16/09
Terrible idea. Why aren't there exceptions for low-volume car makers?
xprojected says:
08:36 AM, 12/16/09
Why not? It's a fashion accessory to go with your Vantage. I'm sure Aston Martin owners don't always want to take their more prized possession into the city.
stephen987 says:
10:13 AM, 12/16/09
It reminds me of a public-service campaign back in the '70s, aimed at helping kids identify poisonous substances. "Mister Yuk is mean, Mister Yuk is green." Only Aston Martin got the color wrong.
93aero says:
11:44 AM, 12/16/09
so its a IQ dressed in Aston Martin drag, creepy. I'm begging to NEVER see this car in person in my life!!!! It would be the death of my love for purist sports cars.
mrryte says:
01:22 PM, 12/16/09
quote from rsholland:
"Because of ever-tightening worldwide government-imposed fuel regulations."
Oh yeah, I forgot all about the fuel economy/emissions bs...... :-/
I'm willing to bet that the IQ/Cynget will be used as a go cart for the ultra-rich to zip around their oversized estates. However, no self-respecting AM owner would want to be out in public driving one though.
edcar2 says:
10:50 PM, 12/18/09
I can't believe they're doing this.
Next thing you know, Bond's driving around in a Fortwo-sized thing
hemi_ownz_u says:
07:29 AM, 12/22/09
If Cadillac can get lambasted for the Cimarron to this day, then by all accounts Aston Martin should be blasted for this abomination for the rest of its life. It's even worse than the Cimarron, because this is based on an even smaller/cheaper car for a brand that sits higher up the luxury scale than Cadillac does.
Selling it exclusively to AS owners is one thing I guess, selling it to anyone who wants one is just brand delusion.