GENEVA — Aston Martin hasn't revealed many new details about its baby Cygnet, which is on display at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. It's essentially a mildly reworked version of the Toyota iQ minicompact that is slated for production eventually in Europe but probably won't make it to the States.
Aston has restyled the front and rear ends of the iQ to mimic some of the design cues from its own pricey sports cars. But the iQ's 97-horsepower 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine likely will be carried over with few major modifications and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
The real transformation appears to be inside, where hand-stitched leather, Alcantara and aluminum grace the cockpit, just as they do in the "grown-up" Astons.
Aston boss Ulrich Bez still isn't saying exactly when the production version of the Cygnet concept will hit the streets of Europe — best bet is late 2010 — but company officials suggest there is no U.S. edition planned at the moment.
The Cygnet press release here describes the vehicle as "a premium commuter car," and says it will allow Aston customers "a greater degree of freedom without compromising the levels of design, quality and innovation that embody the brand."
European press reports say an annual production run of up to 2,000 units is planned at Aston's Gaydon factory, where Cygnets will be hand-converted from Toyota iQs shipped from Japan.
Sticker prices reportedly will range from $45,000-$75,000 — about two to four times the price of a basic iQ.
Inside Line says: The most remarkable thing about Aston's official press blast is that it never once mentions the name Toyota. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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racerx1320 says:
11:09 AM, 03/11/2010
The only way this car would be cool, is if it jumped out of the back of a bigger car during some insane movie stunt.
ateixeira says:
10:11 AM, 03/04/2010
I see this as an apology for the anti-green lineup. Noone will actually buy one. They'll just put it in the green chapter of their annual report.
guitarheroe66 says:
08:22 AM, 03/04/2010
Forget the V12 Vantage... Drop that heart into this little cart and Aston'll really be on to something!
I'm just playing, this is honestly one of the saddest thing's in automotive history. You think one of the new Bond girl's will be seen stepping out of this one?
aston_dbs says:
12:11 PM, 03/03/2010
I truly and desperately wanting to know the (sane) reasons behind this effort...
DBS and the general AM brand is still my favorite dream cars...
But still... I wouldn't buy this in a million years...
Continue this, AM, and I'll be moving over to Porsche and Audi...
tbone85 says:
11:49 AM, 03/03/2010
It's generally against my nature to agree with everyone, but this thing is a travesty. Given the price, this thing will surely supplant the Pacer and "Asstek" as the worst car design in history.
zoomzoomn says:
07:38 AM, 03/03/2010
Um, NO! The world surely is coming to an end when someone finds the need to slap Aston styling and badges on a Toyota micro-car.
05stangdriver says:
12:22 AM, 03/03/2010
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no. . . NO!!!
mrjost55 says:
12:10 AM, 03/03/2010
Wow this thing looks awful, you have to be insane to pay that much for it. It's an IQ dressed up in a super tacky body kit.
neokaitiger says:
07:36 PM, 03/02/2010
I just had to make an account here just to express my disgust with this concept. The photos make it even worse. What sort of educated person would waste 40k+ on something that's not only hideous, but makes you look like a COMPLETE tool while driving. Aston's "upgrades" probably aren't worth more than 15k, and that's rather generous considering the interiors may be "hand stitched" but they are just bolted into a stock iQ while the absolutely offensive body panels are being applied.
I really had respect for Aston's design department a few years back when they took their new direction, but I have to say I feel like they are heading the way of Toyota. Volume over quality and passion. What happened to the passion? What's passionate about taking another company's engineering, slapping your badges and bumpers on it and marking it up tens of thousands of dollars? Just looking at it makes me sick.
akatsuki says:
07:30 PM, 03/02/2010
Since this is just to bring average mpg down as a big scam, it should be interesting to see what happens.
I personally think giving out a couple of these as a key fob for each of the equally as ugly One-77s would be better.