Aston Martin launches Cygnet as whole new look
Jun 30 2009 by John Cranage, Birmingham Post
James Bond will be both shaken and stirred - Aston Martin, the marque most associated with 007, is set to break with near 100 years of tradition by building an ultra-small city car in association with Toyota.
The company, based at Gaydon in Warwickshire, yesterday unveiled its Cygnet concept car which is based on the Toyota iQ, acclaimed as the smallest four-seater car. The Cygnet, however, is being re-styled in such a way as to be immediately recognisable as an Aston Martin.
The company, which traces its history as a manufacturer of luxury high-powered sports cars and GTs back to 1913, has become the first manufacturer to forge such a close link with Toyota, which recently overtook General Motors as the world’s biggest carmaker by volume.
Although vastly different in size - Aston Martin builds about 5,000 cars in a good year compared with Toyota’s record of 8.6 million last year, the companies “share a philosophy of engineering excellence and innovation underlined by a strong passion for cars,” Aston Martin said.
The groundbreaking venture is expected to result in the Cygnet, which will be built at Gaydon, going on sale before the end of next year. Aston Martin said yesterday the car had been developed as a “new luxury commuter concept.”
The eco-friendly Cygnet, which is expected to cost about £20,000, uses standard Toyota iQ mechanical components linked to a 1.3litre four-cylinder engine but with upgraded wheels and tyres and luxurious interior trim.
The body, with an Aston Martin grille, has been designed by the company’s Gaydon styling team. The iQ, which has a Euro NCAP 5 star safety award, is just under 10ft long and, although designed predominantly for inner-city driving, has good open-road performance.
Aston Martin chief executive Ulrich Bez said yesterday: “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.”
The Cygnet is designed to appeal to existing Aston Martin owners who keep a smaller car in the garage for local or inner city driving. The car, which Mr Bez likened to an “exclusive tender to a luxury yacht” - will be sold through the company’s dealership and will be available only to Aston Martin owners.
“This concept will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market,” he added.
“The offering of a Cygnet with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites and is a novel transport solution allowing intelligent, sensititive mobility on an exclusive, innovative level.”
In Japan, Toyota said it would launch a sporty, limited edition iQ customised under Gazoo Racing, a racing team under the Toyota-operated marketing website www.gazoo.com.
