PhilT Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Aston Martin has just released the first photo of its upcoming concept car, and it must be said, it’s unlike anything the brand has ever made before. It’s called the Cygnet, and it’s a Smart-sized vehicle based on the Toyota iQ. The Cygnet features all the usual Aston Martin styling cues, but they’ve all been condensed and re-proportioned to fit on the Toyota’s pint-sized frame including the famous wing-shaped grille, hood vents and fender vents. Amazingly, the headlamps are unchanged from the stock Toyota units. The car is expected to feature the iQ’s 1.33-litre inline-four engine which develops 96 horsepower and 90 lb.-ft. of torque. A stock Toyota iQ with this engine takes a bit less than 14 seconds to hit 100 km/h from still. http://sneil.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54f91645288340115718666de970b-200wi Inside, the car will feature an upscale interior to match the prestige of the Aston Martin brand. Although the iQ’s dashboard, door panels will be the same, these items will be trimmed and upholstered with the same leather and materials used on its sports cars. The standard iQ interior is pictured to the left. Aston’s decision to partner with Toyota on the project is a bit of a surprise given the brand’s formal ties with Mercedes-Benz. Last year, Aston Martin revealed the Lagonda Concept, which was based on the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. It’s a bit of a surprise that Aston didn’t base its commuter car on the Smart fortwo. Ulrich Bez, the brand’s chairman says, “Much work is still required, but I am confident that this project could become a reality in the not too distant future. This concept - akin to a luxury tender yacht - will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment.” With production volumes rumoured to be between 1,000 and 2,000 units per year, the Cygnet would play an important role in reducing the company’s average carbon dioxide fleet emissions. According to Autocar magazine, Aston Martin is hoping to have the car in production by the end of next year; finished iQs would arrive from Japan, and would be retrofitted with the new exterior and interior at the brand’s flexible production facility in Gaydon, England. At first, it will initially be offered to existing Aston Martin customers and those waiting to receive their vehicles to retain exclusivity. It will then be offered to the general public. Prices are expected to start at around £20,000 (approximately $38,150). By comparison the iQ ranges from £9,495 to £11,495 ($15,700 - $21,930). Personally, I can’t help but wonder if James Bond would approve ... http://blogs.carpoint.ca/2009/06/aston-martin-making-a-toyotabased-micro-car.html I want one Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJLGT Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 hahah sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryq89 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 i digz! =] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyWilly Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 "the Cygnet would play an important role in reducing the company’s average carbon dioxide fleet emissions." i think this is the only reason they would do this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 damn I had an obvious James Bond joke ready but they made it first. bastards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psi365 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 "the Cygnet would play an important role in reducing the company’s average carbon dioxide fleet emissions." i think this is the only reason they would do this Don't forget it also brings up the average fuel economy per car for Aston Martin which by our current leader all manufacturers have to average 35.5mpg for their entire fleet of cars.When I say that I mean you take the fuel economy of all their vehicles and it has to average at least 35.5 mpg. I read an article in which they pointed out very few car including hybrids average above that (something like 3-5 car iirc). So how a manufacturer will be able to to make their entire fleet average 35.5mpg in 7 years without making new cars insanely expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 If only there were some magic fuel that could power cars for more than 35 mpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 If only there were some magic fuel that could power cars for more than 35 mpg There is, it's called diesel Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Ah, but this magical fuel must be extremely rare then! Hahahaha, it's so hard to think of this car as an Aston Martin, but then again I'm only used to really seeing them on TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'm calling this a fail. I really dont care what brand makes the golf car.. I'm not driving one. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdisco Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Dear Top Gear, Please feature a Baby Aston vs Fiat 500 death race. The Stig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 That's what Subaru is doing wrong. They should offer a Tribeca with a 1.0L engine. ....a direct injected 1.0L engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 A FWD Aston? How blasphemous! What's next, a FWD BMW? Oh wait, that's a Mini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camber Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Yeah.... While AM might be able to find 1-2K people willing to buy a Toyota rebadged city car. However, I think many will balk at the $30-40k price tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Subaru should do a modern version of the RWD/rear-engine 360, the first Subaru to reach the U.S.: http://www.drive.subaru.com/Sum06/attic/360.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonman586 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 This is blasphemy to the core. Aston better just be kidding with this shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdisco Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Porsche Panamera is fail mostly because it's cost too much. If our check books were big enough and we needed a four seat 160mph sedan, sure maybe. But what if Porsche made a small, inexpensive car. They have a big chunk of VW, so maybe a Porsche GTI. Small hatch, turbo, turn up the handling to eleven, Porsche up the interior, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Subaru should do a modern version of the RWD/rear-engine 360, the first Subaru to reach the U.S.: http://www.drive.subaru.com/Sum06/attic/360.jpg and this is why people used to say that japanese cars were garbage and would never overtake detroit iron in quality or market share. people didnt want this then.. and they dont want it now. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 and this is why people used to say that japanese cars were garbage and would never overtake detroit iron in quality or market share. people didnt want this then.. and they dont want it now. And that's why I see rear-engine/RWD two-seater Smart ForTwos all over the place??? I happen to think that the Smart ForTwo's gas mileage isn't good enough to justify what it gives up in practicality over similarly fuel efficient vehicles with more interior capacity. However, there is apparently sufficient demand to justify sales of what is essentially a modern Subaru 360 in the U.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Smart ForTwos sold under 25K last year, and are around 8K sold so far this year. Be a tough sell for Subaru, especially since going up in size to meet competition has resulted in record sales for the Forester, and probably for the Legacy now as well. The smallest I see them going is a Fit-fighter, something with a 1.6L direct injected 4 cylinder with AWD, with a weight around 2500 pounds and tuned for fuel economy. Should help them get to their CAFE requirement. -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I would think a modern rear-engine RWD version of the 360 would be successful as a retro entrant in the Japanese kei class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 you live in CA.. of course you see a bunch of sandal wearing hippies hugging small trees in the passenger seats of smarts.. I've seen maybe 4 smarts ever.. They're death traps.. and I wont be caught dead or alive in one... if I want a "small" car a honda civic is as small as I want to go. add to that the fact that subaru isn't really known in that market (and shouldn't waste money on it considering the sales of such vehicles) its just a bad idea. people.. NORMAL people.. dont want cars like this. that doesn't mean some wont like it.. but the vast majority will not. for instance.. I dont think I've EVER seen a segway in person... some people like them, the vast majority have no use for them. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 you live in CA.. of course you see a bunch of sandal wearing hippies hugging small trees in the passenger seats of smarts.. I've seen maybe 4 smarts ever.. They're death traps.. and I wont be caught dead or alive in one... if I want a "small" car a honda civic is as small as I want to go. add to that the fact that subaru isn't really known in that market (and shouldn't waste money on it considering the sales of such vehicles) its just a bad idea. people.. NORMAL people.. dont want cars like this. that doesn't mean some wont like it.. but the vast majority will not. for instance.. I dont think I've EVER seen a segway in person... some people like them, the vast majority have no use for them. There are other markets in the world besides GA and some of those people might even be considered "normal." Oh yeah, and Subaru is very well known as a maker of kei cars for the Japanese market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboa113 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 yea..silly me.. thats why we're all here.. including you.. cos what we really want is a GOLF CAR. "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underscore Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Yeah.... While AM might be able to find 1-2K people willing to buy a Toyota rebadged city car. However, I think many will balk at the $30-40k price tag. that's relatively cheap to lease though and people will lease them just to say they drive an Aston Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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