Aston Martin has a knack for producing some of the most beautiful cars in the world, but the firm’s latest project could bring that reputation to a screeching halt. In order to pass more stringent upcoming fuel economy regulations, Aston Martin is readying its own version of the Toyota iQ city car.
As strange and blasphemous as it sounds, Aston Martin is indeed working on an iQ of its own, officially dubbed the Cygnet. The tiny hatch is still in its concept phase, but is reportedly being strongly favored for production. To prove the Cygnet is not just a vaporware joke, Aston Martin released a single teaser image of the dressed up iQ.
The teaser image reveals the Cygnet is basically a Toyota iQ in Aston Martin clothing. Up front is Aston Martin’s signature grille, with hood louvers giving the Cygnet way more bark than bite.
Although the standard interior of the iQ is rather sparse, the Aston Martin version will be completely revamped. Expect plenty of fine leather with quality standards up to those of the company’s DBS supercar.
Although the Cygnet wears the Aston Martin badge, don’t expect much in the way of performance. The iQ’s drivetrain will remain essentially intact, which means a three-cylinder will be the Cygnet’s source for motivation.
Although Aston Martin has yet to release specific details on the Cygnet – such as price and a release date – company CEO Ulrich Bez is high on the project. “Much work is still required, but I am confident that this project could become reality in the not-too-distant future,” Bez said of the Cygnet. Surfacing reports suggest the Cygnet will list from 23,000 euros ($32,300), with 2,000 examples slated to be produced each year.
Unlike supercar makers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, Aston Martin doesn’t have a parent company to leverage fuel economy averages. As such, Aston needs a car like the Toyota-sourced iQ to bring its emission average in line with new standards slated to take effect in 2012. The Cygnet is said to be reserved for current Aston Martin owners, which should give the volume model a bit of exclusivity.
06/29, 10:03 AM
posted by:
Borat
That dry British humor……….
06/29, 10:05 AM
posted by:
Nazenail
Just create a budget brand and reserve it for AM owners. This model is just wrong.
06/29, 10:07 AM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
It’ll be just as unreliable as any Toyota. Build quality used to be decent on Astons, but that won’t be the case with this POS. The Chevy Aveo is the head of the pack right now and even that car will have more respect than an Aston. They should have rebadged one of those instead.
GM. AN American Revolution
06/29, 10:08 AM
posted by:
Dante_JoseCuervo
I want one….. in hot pink….. with a midget under the hood… NOW!
06/29, 10:23 AM
posted by:
RaineMan
This has got to be a joke of some sort.
Tell ya’ what… I’ve got a nice golf cart that I can throw some 12″ rims and Ferrari badges on if you’ll buy it for $50,000.
06/29, 10:24 AM
posted by:
AutoCritical
I think the designers at Aston need this to keep them on their toes. Hope this will show us if they are able to put some Aston flavors in this small car without being too literal….
06/29, 10:34 AM
posted by:
S2L2SC
Is it April 1st again? bad idea – bad. Just raise prices on the good stuff and pay the fines. Or merge with Tesla… This is a bad idea.
06/29, 10:40 AM
posted by:
nickkop
why not something european at least, like smart? they better yank that 1.0 3-cyl or 1.3 4 cyl for something a little more… (interesting? characteristic?)
06/29, 11:07 AM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
perhaps they’ll get some sales when some older ultra-rich current aston martin owners give these out as christmas gifts…
06/29, 11:18 AM
posted by:
NMOFGM-Fail
@NMOFGM
“Build quality used to be decent on Astons” Since when? Aston Martins are renowned for breaking down. You would be funny if you weren’t so pathetically stupid and one sided.
“If it’s not GM it’s sh*t, unreliable and *insert similar GM unit here* is the pinnacle of automotive achievement.”
This car is just a bit of humour and I for one am sick of you Racist, egocentric, condescending, arrogant and pathetic attitude. Why don’t you make like your beloved GM and die.
06/29, 11:19 AM
posted by:
05Z88Path
Jesus…the eco-nuts are really out to ruin all that’s holy and sacred.
06/29, 11:22 AM
posted by:
JakeK66
I checked my calander and it isn’t April First…
06/29, 11:23 AM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
There is a difference between build quality and relibility pal. Astons had decent build quality, i.e. interiors and tight body panels. Yes, their engines would break down faster than a japanese import and their electricals were worse than Audi-VW but they were mechanically sound. Thank Ford for the improvments. This is just another POS, unreliable Toyota whcih will join the rest of the Toyotas in the junkyard in 2 years after purchase.
Waste of money. Buy A Chevrolet Aveo for less money and 15 years of world reknowned GM reliability and quality. You’ll thank me when you hit 500 thousand miles with it.
GM. An American Revolution.
06/29, 11:35 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Aston Martin? More like Rowan & Martin.
06/29, 11:40 AM
posted by:
idrinorbarsaku
nmofgm, it will take 15 years to make the POS aveo anywhere near reliable as the Japanese or German rivals! stick with your GM mentality, it wil get you tou the closest gm dealer the fastest!
06/29, 11:40 AM
posted by:
The Shock of the SVT Lightning F150
In a couple years they will find a way to make fit the 5.9L V12 in this car engine bay, after all it’s kinda an Aston tradition to fit this engine in each and every one of their cars (nothing against the engine, actually my fav car of all time is the 05-06 Vanquish S)
06/29, 11:42 AM
posted by:
atoms
so monty python was funny, but I never got all the jokes, I think this is one of those moments where I am missing some british only joke
06/29, 11:47 AM
posted by:
CADDY-V
Is the next James Bond going to be a miget??
06/29, 12:06 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
This is funny as hell. It’s primer pink, and it actually looks pretty good! What this proves is that Toyota could have made the iQ look good, but chose not to. THAT’s the joke. And I wouldn’t call this British humor without the sexual innuendos. I guess the “it’s not the size that counts” one comes to mind…
As far as the picture goes, this looks like a CG, and not a real photo. The lighting just doesn’t convince me. Anyone else get the same feeling?
06/29, 12:38 PM
posted by:
Borat
OK, apparently Aston is building it. The packaging in iQ is remarkable by pundits assertions, so it may make sense. Hopefully it will not be called iLagonda
06/29, 12:57 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
This… is ridiculous. I wonder what the designers of the other models are thinking of this, them being the ones who put their efforts into the building of this brand.
06/29, 1:12 PM
posted by:
Need more oil for GM
FAIL
06/29, 1:13 PM
posted by:
global_lightning
Cygnet by Aston Martin. The European Cimarron
06/29, 1:16 PM
posted by:
71fiveanddime
this is just absurd….. kind of like NMOFGM’s bull**** rhetoric….. AND its pink. thats just too far.
06/29, 1:45 PM
posted by:
iafb83
@Need more oil for GM
You’ve got to be kidding, or you’re just a young teenager who is confused in life. Buy and AVEO? Dude that’s a Korean rebuild, it’s a crappy Daewoo Kalos. What a piece. GM went bankrupt selling (or trying to sell) that junk. Need proof: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/budget_rides/2008_chevrolet_aveo_auto_shows
You lost all credibility.
06/29, 1:53 PM
posted by:
CADDY-V
that was midget
06/29, 2:02 PM
posted by:
mentir
What’s up with LLN failing to adequately moderate their website?
06/29, 2:15 PM
posted by:
zoomzoomer
Instead of charging $32K for each one of these $13K cars, AM should just give one to each Aston V12 purchaser, essentially increasing the gas mileage of each unit sold from 8/12 to 21/32 combined!
06/29, 2:25 PM
posted by:
SomeGreek
Aston belongs to tata. Tata has many small cars. So i won’t believe this until it’s presented…
06/29, 2:47 PM
posted by:
The_Fez
I wonder if they can shoehorn a V12 in there…
06/29, 3:49 PM
posted by:
F50
Aston isn’t owned by Tata, only Jaguar and Land Rover. Aston is owned by Kuwait I think.
Anyways this has got to be the most f*cked up POS ever.
06/29, 5:31 PM
posted by:
sharpie
I just have one question: WHY???
06/29, 5:50 PM
posted by:
KarLoveBoy88
So I just had the laugh of my life reading this article. This is utterly ridiculous and continuously hilarious everytime I see this article. Good one Aston Martin
06/29, 7:55 PM
posted by:
aggie531
thats as outraegous as SMART building a car to compete with a buggati veyron
06/29, 8:24 PM
posted by:
wideopenthrottle
NOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHYYYY??
06/29, 9:55 PM
posted by:
Veda
“Anyways this has got to be the most f*cked up POS ever.”
You know what I have to agree, by a long shot after all these years reading this site. This is the most bizarre…
06/30, 12:20 AM
posted by:
Kanucko
Need more oil for GM – my god…I wish you’d shut up.
06/30, 5:18 AM
posted by:
NMOFGM-Fail
^^^ I agree 10000000%^^^
Why havent the mods kicked his racist little ass of here?
06/30, 9:21 AM
posted by:
Fromes
This car wouldnt do anything to improve Aston’s over all milage rating. Aston could rebadge a prius that gets 50mpg and it still wouldnt really effect the average to much when the rest of the line up is made up high powered V-12 supercars.
06/30, 12:14 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Am I the only one that actually thinks this experiment looks good? I know it’s totally contrary to the mantra of Aston Martin, but I really think this could make a splash in the marketplace if it was priced right. It looks much better than any other city car out there.
I still think it’s just a Photoshop gag, though.
06/30, 6:58 PM
posted by:
A4
Isnt Aston Martin exempt from CAFE standards because they are such a low volume automaker?
06/30, 8:55 PM
posted by:
andy
and to think people said hood louvers didnt belong on buicks
06/30, 9:36 PM
posted by:
anyclearer
as horrible as an idea as this is……… for a small as car, i wish every small car maker could make them look better like this one. just cause its small dosent mean it should look like hell. This kind is neat, wouldnt wana see it as an astin martin, but none the less, still kind nice for a small car.