Aston Martin Cygnet Cute City Car

Aston Martin Cygnet - Front Side

Aston Martin has released today the first official images of the final version of the Aston Martin Cygnet Concept. The Aston Martin Cygnet Concept is based on the Toyota iQ and aims to be a new luxury commuter vehicle. The Aston Martin Cygnet Concept aims to spawn a highly fuel efficient production model that the company plans to put on the market in 2010.

The production version of the Aston Martin Cygnet will be sold in the UK and the rest of Europe, but the company did not release any information regarding its price.

The British brand has also released an image of the interior of the Aston Martin Cygnet which seems to show all the luxury and built quality you would expect from the brand. We’ll have more details on the production Aston Martin Cygnet as soon as the company makes them available.

Aston Martin Cygnet - Interior Side

With a nod to our current global economic and environmental issues, super GT maker Aston Martin has reportedly announced the world’s first super luxury supermini. Having blown their development budget on the V12 Vantage RS, Rapide and One-77 hypercar, they turned to an unlikely partner for some help: Toyota. Aston Martin has taken the Toyota iQ 3+1 commuter and given it a tailored suit from Savile Row. The result is the new Aston Martin Cygnet you see above. In case you’re wondering, a “cygnet” is a baby swan, not to be confused with an ugly duckling.

Although technically just a concept, word has it that the vehicle will be put into limited production and sold exclusively to existing Aston Martin owners, at least initially. There’s a full press release after the jump, but the Cygnet should sell for around £20,000 (around $33k USD) when it goes on sale late next year. The carwill retain the iQ’s unique 3+1 seating but will be tailored to the individual customer’s needs when it is assembled in Gaydon. Think of it as a move to “1-down” BMW‘s MINI brand. We only have the one photo for now, but from what we can see it doesn’t look as unfortunate as we might have expected with Aston’s distinctive grille, hood cutouts, side vents, and of course, the winged badge. Still, you have to wonder what this sort of thing might do to the Engish company’s brand equity, no? Follow the jump for the presser. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Aston Martin Cygnet - Rear Right Side

The Aston Cygnet will be built in Gaydon, using iQs built in Japan and specially imported to the UK for the purpose. The Gaydon factory has a flexible layout that would allow a Cygnet finishing line to be installed without disruption to present Aston models.

Aston Martin expects to build between 1000 and 2000 cars a year, with earliest cars earmarked for sale in the UK and Europe where the iQ has won a five-star NCAP safety rating. Cars will be sold exclusively through Aston dealers.

Aston insiders concede that adding the car to its range will have benefits for the company’s average carbon dioxide emissions, but stress that this isn’t the motivation for building the Cygnet.

Ulrich Bez, who describes Toyota as the world leader in volume manufacture, wants to offer the Cygnet to existing Aston owners “as a unique combination of opposites, and a novel transport solution”.

In the longer term, the car could sell in markets well beyond Europe, if demand is established. It is even possible that cars which left Japan as iQs could eventually be taken back as Cygnets — at more than twice the price.

The new car will boast a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating and it is thought it will share the current iQ three-cylinder petrol engine.

As the pictures reveal, the Cygnet will be embellished with a sporty grille, bespoke alloy wheels and a luxury interior as well, of course, as the elegant Aston Martin badge.

The firm has said that it will be sold only to existing Aston Martin customers, who, it is envisaged, will use it as a ‘green’ run-around while reserving their supercars, such as the DB9 or Vantage, for longer journeys. The firm aims to sell around 4,000 a year.

An insider said: “We are relatively confident the concept will go into production”. If it does, it will go on sale towards the end of 2010.

Earlier this year, 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.”

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