IT’S the first small Aston Martin commuter car – and it is about to become big business for the luxury sports car maker.
Aston Martin stunned the motoring world this week when they unveiled their debut supermini — the 65mpg Cygnet.
The Aston is less than three metres long but it is even more remarkable because it is actually based on Toyota’s iQ city car.
That brings together two of the world’s leading car firms in one of the industry’s most innovative partnerships.
Aston will transform the standard iQ into a luxury supermini that will cost in excess of £20,000 and always be exclusive — wannabe purchasers must already own an Aston or buy one of the firm’s sports cars to be eligible to buy a Cygnet.
Sun Motors has been given an exclusive tour of the car by Aston boss Dr Ulrich Bez — the man behind the inspirational move. He believes the Cygnet could pioneer a new era of luxury small cars, changing the way people think about little motors.
He said: “Small cars, until now, have been seen as a message that people are buying something small and cheap.
“The Cygnet will show that small cars can also be a status symbol and make a statement.
“The Cygnet will be an intelligent purchase for people who want to make a statement for the environment, but at the same time they will enjoy all the luxury normally associated with a bigger car and a premium brand like Aston Martin.”
Dr Bez says the Cygnet move shows that, although Aston are a high performance sports car maker, they are coming up with solutions to address the problem of their cars’ high emissions.
He said: “This car is a realistic answer to the environmental question. People who buy this car will be doing something positive to reduce CO2.”
Dr Bez explained he had been looking at different ways for Aston to tackle environmental issues for some time.
But when he viewed the first pictures of the Toyota iQ, he saw a car that Aston could work on.
He explained: “I liked the fact that, from the front, the iQ doesn’t look like a small car.
“It’s a car that has road presence but it also has the right environmental, fuel economy and safety levels.” He rang the new President of Toyota, Akio Toyoda — who Dr Bez had met when they were both testing models at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany — to discuss a partnership.
Within two days, a team from Toyota had flown to Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire to put the plan into motion.
Just six months later and they are close to finalising a deal that could see the first Cygnets on the road from as early as next year. As he showed me around the Cygnet, Dr Bez pointed out how his design team had “Aston-ised” the little Toyota, with a bold Aston grille, bonnet air vents and modifications to the bumper and headlights.
The Aston treatment continues with air vents on the wings, the firm’s unique door handles, a new cut line in the door, a range of special alloy wheels and even a rear spoiler to give the Cygnet a sporty feel. But under the bonnet the Aston will keep the Toyota’s 1litre engine that returns more than 65mpg and has CO2 emissions of just 99g/km — the perfect contrast to Aston’s six-litre engines.
The interior, however, will be finished in the traditional top-quality leather, wood and carbon fibre trim you’d get in an Aston.
Dr Bez explained: “Customers will be able to customise the Cygnet to their individual taste on the inside. Just like in any Aston, there will be no compromise. This will be the coolest small car on the road.”
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But Dr Bez was quick to stress that making the ultimate luxury sports cars would remain the core of the Aston brand — which is why buyers have to have one to get the Cygnet.
He said: “Our customers will always want the ultimate sports car and we have no intention of compromising those cars by reducing their performance.
“The Cygnet is just something additional to the range that means our customers can have the perfect combination — an eco-friendly city car for commuting during the week and a high performance sports car for weekends and long journeys.”
Aston believe they could sell around 4,000 Cygnets annually across the world, kicking off next year.
And Dr Bez believes the Government should welcome the Cygnet and give some financial support to Aston’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
Tadashi Arashima, chief exec and president of Toyota Europe, said: “The Cygnet is a good choice for the Aston Martin owner looking for that second or third car which is both luxurious and eco-conscious.”
Cygnet Pic
source: thesun
