The grille is classic, but there's also a lot of the little Toyota IQ in the overall design of the Aston Martin Cygnet commuter car concept.
Automaker’s often talk about their DNA, the defining characteristics of a brand, which might be quality, design, performance or price. Say the name, Aston Martin, and sleekly elegant high-performance sports cars immediately come to mind.
So a first look at these, the first official pics of the Aston Martin Cygnet concept car, is likely to come as a real disconnect. The three-door hatchback is, at least visually, the polar opposite of classic Aston models, such as the DBS.
What Aston has come up with may, however, be more in tune with global realities, where there are fewer and fewer opportunities to put a sports car through its paces. The British maker – now owned by Kuwaiti investors, appears to be betting that there’ll be a booming market for downsized commuter cars, in the years to come, and that there will always be at least a few affluent buyers willing to spend the extra money for something truly exclusive.
Aston Martin planners hope to produce about 2,000 copies of the Cygnet annually, at about $30,000.
According to a terse release from the maker, “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.”
The maker isn’t providing many other details, though it’s been known that Aston is working with Toyota, which is lending its IQ microcar to the project. That’s obvious from the basic shape of the Cygnet, including the headlights. From a first glance, the signature Aston grille would likely be the only thing that the British marque’s most famous customer, super-spy James Bond, would recognize. The interior does a more reasonable imitation of a classic Aston layout, with its bold use of contrasting red and black leather. There’s plenty of technology onboard, which sleuths like 007 might appreciate, including a custom iPhone holder that, curiously, appears to be blocking the view of the navi screen in this picture.
The maker says it intends to continue working on the concept, but stresses that this is not just another throwaway show car. Work,” Aston says, “will continue into 2010 when it is hoped that (Cygnet) will become a production reality initially available to Aston customers in the UK and Europe.”
The contrasting black and red leather interior looks a bit more like a classic Aston Martin design.
Industry sources say Aston plans to produce about 2,000 Cygnets annually, at a bit above $30,000, or barely a tenth of what some of its sports cars now go for. That would be a significant bump in raw volume, but there could be another payoff. Like other manufacturers, the British brand is bumping up against tough new CO2 emissions regulations. A fleet of microcars would readily offset the output of Aston’s classic sports cars.
But could one really imagine 007 giving chase in a Cygnet? And is there room for an ejection seat?