Report: Aston Martin Cygnet could come to the States

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Aston Martin Cygnet could come to the States

Aston Martin Cygnet – Click above for high-res image gallery

We aren’t quite sure why the Aston Martin Cygnet exists. What was once an economical Toyota iQ is now a fuel-sipping Aston Martin (weird) with a lavish interior and a price tag that will make your heart skip a beat. We understand that vehicles like this work well in the congested, small-car-friendly cities of Europe, but it remains to be seen if microcars have a place here in the United States. The Smart ForTwo has proved to be a flop in the States, though we’ll chalk most of that up to its unimpressive fuel economy and downright awful driving dynamics.

The U.S. is set to get a Scion-badged version of the Toyota iQ in early 2011, but a report from Automotive News states that Aston Martin could import its angry-looking Cygnet counterpart to our shores as early as 2012. It would share the same 1.3-liter gasoline powerplant as the Scion, though an electric-only version with a 60-mile range could arrive in 2013.

We’ll wait until Aston Martin gives us the official word before we start jumping to any conclusions, but consider our outlook on a U.S.-spec Cygnet similar to that of a half-empty glass.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Aston Martin Cygnet could come to the States originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin shows off the racier side of the Cygnet

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Aston Martin Cygnet in Gulf Livery – Click above to enlarge

Aston Martin is an automaker with a history that’s indelibly linked with racing… not to mention beautiful styling, attractive colors and, um, James Bond. But the British automaker has more recently signaled its intent to be known for offering a lavishly equipped fuel efficient city car that focus solely on transportation duties and not 0 to 60 times or top speeds.

Mostly. A quick run through the automaker’s website shows that its not willing to let the Cygnet degrade its performance and racing image entirely. To wit, the little urban commuter is pictured in a number of scenarios that don’t exactly scream “efficient transportation.” For instance, there’s an orange-helmeted Stig lookalike posing with the Aston in one scene.

Note too that the Cygnet can be customized with three different racing-derived paint schemes, two of which focus on the classic British Racing Green of Aston Martin’s current racers and a third that shows the Cygnet painted up in iconic Gulf livery. Feel free to check it out for yourself at AstonMartin.com.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Aston Martin shows off the racier side of the Cygnet originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin Rapide Silver Blonde – click above image for high-res image gallery

To many of us here gathered around Autoblog’s virtual water cooler, the star of the Geneva Motor Show wasn’t the electrified Porsche 918 Spyder, but rather the Touring Superleggera Flying Star, better known as the Bentley Continental Shooting Brake. Disagree? We say to each their own.

And according to the UK’s AutoExpress, that’s what Aston Martin’s saying, too. The legendary British car maker will be offering a custom vehicle program to those with the right mixture of imagination and American Express Black Card. According to the article, Aston Martin has gained so much experience building the One-77 as a stationary object (as opposed to on an assembly line) that building whatever it is on earth a customer wants is no problem. Says design director Marek Reichman, “This means that if we need to, we can swap shapes, interiors, engines or wheels without destroying the production process. It offers us infinite possibilities.”

To that we say, “Yes!” We also say, to steal a line, “Mommy, why were we born good looking instead of just rich?” Because we could certainly come up with a hot Aston or two. Like how about a 1978 V8 Vantage Oscar India body riding atop the DBS chassis and internals? That would work rather well, we think. Alternatively, a Lagonda wagon body atop the Rapide would work, too. Oooh! What about a Hayabusa-engined Cygnet? That last one might just be the way to save face go. Unless they build us a fully-operational DB5 from Goldfinger. Sigh…

[Source: AutoExpress]

Report: Aston Martin considering custom vehicle program for customers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin Cygnet – Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember the day when Aston Martins were two-seat sportscars? Yeah, neither can we because a lot’s happened since then. The Rapide four-door. The Lagonda crossover concept. And this, the Cygnet.

News first broke that Aston was working on a city car based on the Toyota iQ back in June, with initial details and photos released half a year later. Now the Cygnet has made its official auto show debut here in Geneva, modestly nestled in between the company’s Vantages and DB9s.

The idea is to provide existing Aston owners with an urban tender in which to zip around congested city centers like London. Say what you will of the idea, but the fit and finish on the Cygnet look suitably Aston. Just shrunken down and chopped up. With it, Aston Martin just might end up redefining what an Aston Martin is. But a sportscar, good sir, it most certainly is not. Have a look for yourself in the gallery of live shots below, and the stock shots in the gallery below that, complete with Gulf livery and Bape-aping camouflage.

Photos by Noah Joseph / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Geneva 2010: Toyota-based Aston Martin Cygnet “intentionally accelerates” onto show floor originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Aston Martin Cygnet tours the streets of London

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Plenty has been written about the Aston Martin Cygnet, and much of it has been less than enthusiastic. After all, how does one connect the dots between a tiny, efficient, low-performance city car and the British sporting brand’s super high-performance models? Apparently, that would be with Aston’s signature front fascia along with an interior swathed in the requisite leather and unobtanium surfaces. Oh, and a suitably high price tag, no doubt.

Whether or not the Cygnet is a good idea, it certainly seems as if Aston Martin is pushing forward with the launch of the 3+1, which is based on the diminutive Toyota iQ. Proof of such can be seen in this series of spy photos, which show the Cygnet out and about in London’s fashion-forward Soho district. The mini-mobile will be offered first to current Aston Martin owners, then it may see a limited release in select European dealerships later this year, assuming sufficient demand is found. Thanks for the tip, Victor!

[Source: Secret New Cars]

Spy Shots: Aston Martin Cygnet tours the streets of London originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin Cygnet Concept

Aston Martin today releases the first official images of the ‘Cygnet’ – a new luxury commuter concept car.

The Cygnet concept represents a creative, environmentally conscious solution, being small, yet with presence – and highly fuel efficient, now combined with the prestige of Aston Martin’s luxury brand ownership.

Work on the concept is ongoing and will continue into 2010 when it is hoped that it will become a production reality initially available to Aston Martin customers in the UK and Europe.

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Aston Martin Lagonda Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Are hybrid drivetrains befitting of a premium luxury and performance brand? Well, that depends on who you ask. According to such diverse automakers as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and even Ferrari and Lamborghini, the answer is ‘yes’. Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez, though, reportedly believes otherwise. “The current hybrid technologies are not suited to the character of Aston Martin sports cars,” explains Bez.

We’re not so sure we agree, especially since Aston’s long-planned Lagonda revival – which may or may not come wrapped in an ungainly SUV package – is rumored to be equipped with a hybrid powertrain. After all, the torque-rich nature of electric motors certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing for a luxury tourer.

A few branches up on the green tree, Aston Martin’s tiny Toyota iQ-based Cygnet minicar could quite possibly get a fully electric drivetrain, which would seem to make sense given that car’s stated mission as an urban runabout for those times when a V12 Vanquish could be considered overkill. Beautiful, sonorous, splendid overkill…

Gallery: Lagonda Concept

[Source: Autotelegraaf.nl via Motor Authority]

Rumormill: Aston Martin could build hybrid Lagonda, all-electric Cygnet originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet

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Aston Martin Cygnet – Click above to watch video

Aston Martin will be shepherding perceptions of its forthcoming Cygnet as much as it can, and it will doubtlessly be monitoring the reception that the Toyota-turned-Aston microcar receives as closely as it can.

On that former front, the company has begun video marketing for a car it still only suggests will go into production at the end of this year. The intent, of course, is to make the Cygnet appear as cool as possible, and the method used in this application is the French sport of parkour. Follow the jump to watch the vid and then answer this question for us in Comments: Did it work? Thanks for the tip, Victor!

[Source: Aston Martin via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet

Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin shows off completed Cygnet, Euro sales in 2010

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Aston Martin Cygnet – Click above for high-res image gallery

Earlier this year, we saw photos of Aston Martin designers working on a clay-covered Toyota iQ in the studio and applying typical Aston styling cues to it. Creating a leather clad urban commuter car struck us as a dubious proposition for an upscale brand like Aston Martin, but nevertheless the Cygnet is now complete and Aston has released a fresh batch of photos.

While the Aston Martin face is well suited to the extended nose of a DBS or Rapide, we think it looks more than a bit overwrought on the front of the tiny Toyota. On the inside, virtually all of the available surfaces have been covered in red and black premium leather. For the time being, the Cygnet is a concept only, but Aston says it hopes to have it in production in 2010 for European and UK customers. There’s no word yet on price, but in the meantime, you can check out our high-res gallery below and brief press release after the jump.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Continue reading Aston Martin shows off completed Cygnet, Euro sales in 2010

Aston Martin shows off completed Cygnet, Euro sales in 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin Cygnet Concept – Click above to enlarge

Most of us would be willing to kill for the opportunity to have an Aston Martin as our daily commuter. (Then again, most of us here at Autoblog are writers and don’t commute much of anywhere). But the British purveyor of luxury GTs figures some of its customers – those based in major European metropolitan centers like London and Paris, for example – could use something a little more compact for driving into the city. Hence the Cygnet, which as you may recall is essentially a Toyota iQ with some Aston touches.

News of the car’s development broke a few months ago, but the latest reports now indicate that the Aston-badged city car could begin shipping as early as next year. Although no mechanical changes are expected to take place, the pre-assembled units are expected to be shopped to AM’s plant in Gaydon, England, where the company will give the citycar its own unique interior, slap on an Aston grille and the requisite badging and raise the price up to $32,000 – about twice the price Toyota fetches for a stock iQ.

Whether Aston’s customers bite remains to be seen, but for our part, we still want to see one of these face off against the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari for the exotic supermini crown.

[Source: Automotive News - subs req'd]

Aston Martin Cygnet (nee Toyota iQ) to hit European city streets next year? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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