Aston Martin Cygnet

Implausible as it sounds, Aston Martin have worked up a prototype for an ultra-economical city car. Based on the dinky Toyota IQ, they've basically plushed up the interior and grafted on a more upmarket nose. Peculiar. But don't worry too much about brand dilution - the Cygnet will only be available to existing DBS, DB9 and Vantage owners; the cachet of ownership will remain intact as passers-by will know you've got a proper Aston tucked away in the garage. Or so the theory goes.






CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez says:
"Now is the right time for Aston Martin to take this first bold step to embark on this special project - made possible with the support of an organisation of Toyota's stature and capability and the intelligent design and perfect city car package of the iQ.
Much work is still required, but I am confident that this project could become reality in the not too distant future. This concept - akin to an exclusive tender to a luxury yacht - will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market."

A cynic might postulate that such a maneouvre would give AM all kinds of help in reducing their average CO2 emissions in line with new EU and US regulations... but Dr. Bez promises that this wasn't the primary motive behind the Cygnet. Hmm.