Aston Martin Cygnet Concept Car Revealed

Aston Martin Cygnet Luxury Commuter Concept Car Teaser Photo. Based on the

Based on Toyota IQ

By Thami Masemola
June 29, 2009 12:30 PM
Filed Under: Aston Martin, Concept Car, European, Toyota

Aston Martin reckons it has made a smart move, so to speak, by conceptualising a small city car. Based on the Toyota iQ the Aston Martin Cygnet is a mix of luxury, compactness and environmental friendliness.

Dr Ulrich Bez, the Chief Executive of AM 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."

The Cygnet does not signal the end of desirable beasts like the DB9 and the DBS. It will merely add to the range and give AM access to new markets.

"The offering of a ‘Cygnet' with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites," said Bez, "and a novel transport solution allowing intelligent and sensitive mobility on an exclusive and innovative level."

The iQ is not a bad place to start with its EURO NCAP 5-star safety package and environmental consciousness. Aston Martin seems to be going into the same territory that Mercedes-Benz entered in the early 1990s with the smart where it initially partnered with Swiss watch maker Swatch. More details will be revealed once the project has been given final approval which Dr Bez expects to be in the not too distance future.

Source: Toyota

Press Release (Click to expand)

Aston Martin has developed a new luxury commuter concept; the ‘Cygnet' which will offer customers a distinctive, intelligent and exclusive solution for urban travel in style and luxury.

The concept will offer Aston Martin trademark design in a commuter car package based on the critically acclaimed Toyota iQ with a Euro NCAP 5-star safety package.

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.

Aston Martin, the world leader in exclusive niche engineering is collaborating on this concept with Toyota the world leader in volume, quality and reliability. Although vastly different in size, Toyota and Aston Martin share the philosophy of engineering excellence and innovation underlined by a strong passion for cars.

Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez said: "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."

"The offering of a ‘Cygnet' with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites and a novel transport solution allowing intelligent and sensitive mobility on an exclusive and innovative level."

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Comments

Gile

June 29, 2009 12:41 PM

WTF?!

peterhejlejensen

July 31, 2009 1:30 AM

My thoughts exactly. I was like "OH SH*T! It's not Aprils Fools' Day!?!?!"

awhk

June 29, 2009 12:44 PM

What the?! I would buy one in the color "Casino Royale" if this thing goes into production though.

adottkiddy

June 29, 2009 12:47 PM

Aston Martin.....JUST STOP!

janobr

June 29, 2009 12:51 PM

You have got to be Sh**ing me...

ARF

June 29, 2009 1:02 PM

New 007 car! lol

ARF

June 29, 2009 1:04 PM

New 007 car!!! lol

CarMainiac

October 1, 2009 4:47 PM

lol if this is going to be the next bond car, I have a name for the new movie it should be called "007 lost his penis" lol

Honest1

June 29, 2009 1:09 PM

Well I Suppose Aston Customers Are Feeling The Pinch. So Not A Bad Idea. But Pricing May Be Strange.

* Toyota IQ £10.000

* Aston Martin Cygnet £20.000 "Guessing".

Bristol411S3

June 29, 2009 1:21 PM

Wow! I checked the date but, no, it's not 1 April.

I still can't believe this is real although I have to say I quite like it! Doesn't AM have a technology agreement with Daimler though? A rehashed Smart would make more sense.

daviepops

June 29, 2009 2:32 PM

You read my mind .. my first thought was that it has to be an out of step April fools day joke

BrianWCF

June 29, 2009 2:48 PM

We also took a "wa wa what?" double take when we received the press release this morning. But i can confirm it's real as Toyota has released a simultaneous statement as well.

Scuderia-Paul

June 29, 2009 1:21 PM

This is not April 1st. I just saw this and roared laughing - What is Aston Martin thinking!?

Make a smaller car by all means but something like a rival to the Boxster / Cayman is far more in fitting with Aston Martins style.

Surely this will never happen...

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 1:21 PM

nendor

June 29, 2009 1:26 PM

Great Move small cars makes profit

abramo

June 29, 2009 3:49 PM

Hmmm, the Smart has never made any profit for Daimler, only losses, thus stockholders' calls to either terminate it, or unload it to somebody else . . .

m4rtins

June 29, 2009 5:27 PM

Small cars hardly make any profit due to low sale price, and disproportionate manufacturing cost when compared to larger segment vehicles. This is why companies such as Ford and opel try to make as many derivatives to maximise the cost sharing, e.g. Mazda 2 and Fiesta, Fiat 500 and Ka etc.

Hardboy997

June 29, 2009 1:42 PM

No comment.... O_O

9TNine

June 29, 2009 1:50 PM

I like it... but only if it has a V8!

porschekrazii

June 29, 2009 2:11 PM

a V8 in an iQ that looks like a AM.

that boggles the mind, but THAT surely would interest me. lol

paulbe

June 29, 2009 2:09 PM

No. Just say No.

MerHC

June 29, 2009 2:18 PM

When the new environmental rules in the US start to take effect, supercar and luxury car makers will have to choose between building slower and smaller car with disproportionate wheel base, or just give away another tiny car, or electric car, to compensate the overall fleet average. Let say if you are selling a Murcielago with 8 MPG, give away a tiny iQ with 55 MPG, and your fleet average will be 32.5 MPG. Get it?

NauAudiS4

June 29, 2009 2:20 PM

All the purists said that the Cayenne was a dumb idea, but it allowed Porsche to create newer and better iterations of the Carrera and Boxster. It allowed them to re-enter racing on the factory level, and will allow them to continue on (minus the whole failed hostile VW take-over). The same will be true if Aston has a hit on their hands. I think I'd rather swallow my pride and allow this vehicle (which looks like a caracture version of the DBS) to exist than have Aston slowly sink under during this ecnomic crisis and 'green revolution.' Dare I say: if you're a true car fan, you'd applaud this car coming to market.

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 2:21 PM

June 29, 2009 2:38 PM

I really hope that u are right and agree about allowing for this car to exist for Aston's sake!

car-o-bar

June 29, 2009 8:31 PM

Obviously you have no sense of brand image. Cayenne was not an anti Porsche image. This AM however is. Since AM is not owned by any car company, they are doing it to meet average US CAFE requirements. I think they could have taken the hybrid route but thy would have been more expensive and challenging. So they resorted to rebadging tatics. If AM were still owned by Ford, this wouldn't be necessary.

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 8:33 PM

NauAudiS4

June 30, 2009 12:33 AM

No where does it say that this is a permenant thing, car-o-bar. For all we know they could still be working on a hybrid for use in several years. Thing is that for this moment, in this economic crisis where Trillions are being lost, this is by far the cheapest method for Aston Martin, which is a smart idea. Saving every little last dollar helps in the long run. Also lets not forget that design, and implementation of a hybrid would take time. Ironically in this market time is of the essence. Aston Martin did a great thing for their brand image, showing that they "too care about the environment" by creating an eco-friendly car as opposed to Aston strictly making gas-guzzling, tree eating cars. Also if they give the car away with ever car purchase, then the Mini-Aston is still just as exclusive and will show that at home you have an Aston Martin but today you decided to save a few birds from choking an exhaust. The parent could even give their kid the car to take to school, and will show "Hey everybody my dad has an Aston Martin."

Now tell me how the Cayenne was not an Anti-Porsche image? The Cayenne made purists all accross the world scream in agony. They all screamed "This maker of fine two-door sport coupés is making a bloated SUV with a massive engine thrown in the front!" Porschephiles sayed they'd never buy a Porsche again because of the Cayenne. Fastforward six years and everyone has just about forgotten about how the Cayenne "is not a Porsche" and they've grown to accept the fact that the Cayenne saved Porsche. Sir, I believe it is you who has no sense of brand imaging.

car-o-bar

June 30, 2009 2:06 AM

Hahaha...! I can gurantee this is not going to turn out to be a good idea for AM. Reskined Toyota IQ free with each AM DB6 or DB9 is just going to dilute the image. This is not payless shoes BOGO sale mister. AM's image is going to suffer because of this. I guess AM does not care because they do not have enough customers to lose in the first place. Plus customers will pay for cygnet anyways, Cygnet? Isn't that the commercial name for ARTIFICIAL diamond kind of thing... need I say more.

MasterA

June 29, 2009 2:23 PM

WTF!!! Now make and Sports Activity Coupé :D

lucifa

June 29, 2009 2:45 PM

Funny thing is, it actually looks really good, and it's a lot more original than endless facsimiles of the DB9. NauAudiS4 and MerHC have it right, introducing a small car has huge advantages. Just wondering if they'd be allowed to count it as part of their fleet if they didn't put an Aston badge on it, but created a new premium-city-car badge? It'd save their image some dignity...

MadAboutCars

June 29, 2009 3:13 PM

Sh1t.

Aston, leave this stuff to project kahn or whatever their name is

motorjedi

June 29, 2009 4:22 PM

First Question: Why Aston and not Lagonda - I thought the whole point of revitalising the Lagonda brand with that ridiculous white whale of an SUV was to differentiate the sports cars from the rest of the range - family saloons, city cars, etc.

Second question: Downsizing is one thing. The Toyota iQ is taking things to an extreme. Couldn't they have made an Aston Martin Corolla instead?

Third Question: A combination of the first two really, doesn't this take away too many of the inherent Aston Martin values/qualities/traits to even be allowed? If what MerHC says is true, great, but at what cost to the brand? It's not pretty, it's not loud, it's not RWD, it's not a GT car, it doesn't have a big, V-layout engine. So that's power, beauty and soul out the window. I'm not going to walk into an Aston showroom and say, "The DBS is nice, but it doesn't have clever enough packaging and its engine has eight cylinders too many.."

Fourth question: Why on earth couldn't they make it look any better? Bolting on hood scoops and side vents, and extending the headlights a bit does not make a Toyota an Aston Martin. Just, no.

davethepetrolhead

June 29, 2009 4:40 PM

I don't have a problem with Aston doing a small car. But come on please find something better than this ugly thing to work with prehaps a MX5 would be a good start.

HEMI426

June 29, 2009 4:54 PM

Pethetic

Kepe

June 29, 2009 5:05 PM

Haha, now that's what I call hilarious :D But seriously, who on earth would want to buy something like that? You get a small hatchback with an AM grille. And I'm pretty sure this thing won't be cheap to buy.

Keita

June 29, 2009 5:23 PM

Nobody with any intelligence will buy into that car. It makes a mockery of Aston Martin. It's got none of the Aston qualities and won't een have unique Aston engineering bits. It's basically a Toyota with a facelift that one will be expected to pay 3 times the money for.For what? The name? Sorry, but I'm not that stupid. If I want an iQ, I'll buy one without paying a ridiculous price for a fake Aston.

alessandro

June 29, 2009 5:49 PM

I love it. Lets buy an AM everybody. Beats Yaris any time but still not sharp as Clio - or vice versa, hahaaaa!

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 5:51 PM

mc959

June 29, 2009 5:56 PM

If i was a tuner, i made a copy of this bodykit and sell it to IQ owners, i would become rich and bye me a DBS, ; )

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 6:54 PM

igabbmw

June 29, 2009 5:57 PM

One Question : WHY? At first I was thinking... ok this is a Photoshop Joke ... again. but it sound pretty serious... please Aston don't put it to production!!!!

alessandro

June 29, 2009 6:01 PM

Next will be Ferrari's 3-door "Cittadino".

mmr66

June 29, 2009 6:42 PM

WTF.....but if it gose into production with a v10 it will be ok.

vilivo

June 29, 2009 6:55 PM

I reckon its clever- buy an AM, and get one of these dinky toys for free- thats what it says in the article, at least...

norther

June 29, 2009 7:42 PM

this is just stupid. i imagine it would be the most luxorious most expensive city car in its class. hell yeah..... "green power, save the planet"

car-o-bar

June 29, 2009 8:21 PM

Aston Martin and Mercedes Benz are differnt types of companies. MB is a mass producer with cars already present in all possible categories. AM is a niche player specializing in high end hand built units affordable by a handfull of rich people. MB has deep pockets toke those kinds of risks, such as buying stake in Mitsubishi or Chrysler, AM should not do that. It will dilute the brand value quickly than one can blink. As a matter of fact if I were to ever buy a super car AM was on my list along with Lambo and Ferrari, not anymore. Wake up AM do not do it, if your engineering bug warrants that, creat a new brand like MB Smart, do not spoil the Bond Car. Next you might want to build a cycle rickshaw to meet USA cafe requirements....ridiculous...!

afterace2

June 29, 2009 8:39 PM

is there going to be an AM version of Corolla too?

politz

June 29, 2009 8:44 PM

maybe a PRIUS VANTAGE is on the works too.

politz

June 29, 2009 8:43 PM

well, if that new car is just for aston martin owners, than that's a good marketing stunt, yes, and these babies are going to be sold for a whole lot than 20k on ebay. remember that ferrari has prepared a special edition fiat 500 for its owners last summer?

but if they ever consider selling aston martin-ized toyotas to anyone willing to pay for it... than that's the worst thing they could have ever done to its brand.

Aesthetics

June 29, 2009 8:58 PM

i just cannot believe this and would reject aston martin for whatever it is regardless how good this car turns out to be. there has to be a twist to this. i can understand maybe it is for their workers or those related to the company but to go from the one-77 to an iQ?!?!?!?!?!!?

Razz

June 29, 2009 9:36 PM

Is this 1st of april in some part of the world? This is a joke or something ? Maybe they want to get where the Smart is now, at the end also Mercedes has supercars of many |000s of USD but still, from a brand to motorize the James Bond to a little city car there is some way. So, if there will be a V8 powered AM IQ i agree with the plan, if they will use a motor like 1.0 vvti or some diesel, i guess the AM will not be anymore linked to performance .. if you ask me.

PS - The ideea would be great if used to an advertising like : buy one get two Aston Martin, like they get the need of their buyers for mobility in crowded towns .. and you pay for the supercar but you also get a small AM to have fun with in the city.

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 9:55 PM

N20_Purge

June 29, 2009 9:50 PM

Haha, WCF are so late. April fools day was ages ago.

Wait, you mean this is real? o_0

Edited by user on June 29, 2009 at 9:51 PM

Paulds

June 30, 2009 12:31 AM

If you want to low your CO2 average emmissions, buy a new brand, or create a new one to sell little mini cars... it will be better than spoil the Bond Car, like car-o-bar said

dmanero

June 30, 2009 12:35 AM

Is this a joke, well I guess that what you get when you hand over a company to Tata corp. you think they would have learnt after the failure of the concept one - 77. Pathetic.

motorjedi

June 30, 2009 4:06 AM

Tata owns Jag and Land Rover. Not Aston-Martin. Everything Ford ruined didn't all go to the same place.

RangeRover

June 30, 2009 1:40 AM

u can deliver pizzas with this car :P

car-o-bar

June 30, 2009 2:13 AM

Yes, if you buy an AM in this economy you will need to have a second evening job anyways and the Cygnet might come in handy... Lol..!

politz

June 30, 2009 1:53 AM

wait a minute... is it just me or they really did keep the headlights?

oh no... shame on you, aston!

politz

June 30, 2009 1:56 AM

maybe we should come up with a list... what other stupid creations would YOU love (or hate) to see?

i'd go for the aston martin prius... but a jaguar nano would be pretty interesting too!

motorjedi

June 30, 2009 4:10 AM

Even better than the Jag Nano is the Range Rover Nano Sport. How about the Chevy Spark Blue Devil LS9. And of course the Koenigsaab 9-500.

erichmichel

June 30, 2009 7:22 AM

This is a Sick Joke! What's next a Aston Martin Kick 'N Go? Or how about a AM hoop and stick?

p2c

June 30, 2009 3:22 PM

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!

WTF is this ???!!!!!

archytype

June 30, 2009 4:23 PM

The headlights are bigger than the BMW 1-series in proportion and it looks bug-eyed and odd. Smaller shaped eyes and xenon headlamps or people will stay away. Also needs a chisel in the door panel and the grill should be taller (since it's practically a mini-sportute.) Basic design elements these designers are failing on.

Scarcliff

June 30, 2009 4:29 PM

Who Squished My DBS?!

rorycarguy

June 30, 2009 4:54 PM

oh jesus nooooooooo ...this looks plain wrong , sureley if they do make it , why e=wud it need such a large grill and bonnet vents!!!?????

July 1, 2009 12:08 PM

It won't be a good idea if present as an "Aston Martin". But would be a brilliant shot if this vehicle show up with the brand "Lagonda".

car-o-bar

July 2, 2009 5:06 PM

Honey I shrunk the DBS...! Oops.

Murcielago2006

July 2, 2009 10:18 PM

OMG MY EYYEYEEESS!!! I JUST WENT BLIND?!!?

EMBJATI85

July 5, 2009 9:58 PM

shouldnt it be a smart car since diamler bought astonmartin it would make more sence than the stupid pos toyota

nederina

July 6, 2009 8:14 PM

hmm a front wheel drive aston, never thought of that

Cootje

July 11, 2009 5:02 PM

According to the latest, this will have in the beginning only a 1.0 three cylinder engine.

astonmartindbrs09

July 13, 2009 5:53 PM

lets think about this good move but not for Aston. Aston design big GT cars not city cars. Its like ferrari doing the same. its all wrong. stick to what you are good at Aston, keep designing the most beutiful cars in the world.

and lets think about the names: Vanquish DB7 DB9 DBs one-77 and the all new Aston Martin Cygnet.

EH?

July 17, 2009 9:01 PM

LOL that is the worst aston ive ever seen. They are gonna end up turning into a toyota if they carry on, with this and the 4 door rapide.

astonmartindbrs09

July 18, 2009 3:28 PM

the four door Rapide is going to be a great car. there is no denieing that tha Rapide will have peaple falling over looking at the beaty of it but people will fall over laughing at the all new amazingly strange move aston are making.