Yes, it’s the Toyota iQ city car.
It’s hard to say whether this project is an act of genius or madness. The model’s role is apparently that of luxury commuter car aimed, initially at least, at current Aston Martin drivers who need something compact to tackle the urban environment. It may be a concept at the moment, but sales are expected to begin before the end of the year.
The obvious question is whether it will sully the brand or could it, as Aston Martin claims, enhance the marque?
Well, another assertion by Aston Martin is that its cars combine three elements: power, beauty and soul. So maybe judging the Cygnet against those criteria may help find the answer.
It will use the same 1.33 litre engine (that three hundredths of a litre must be important) as found in the iQ. Managing 97 bhp in the Toyota, it’s not exactly powerful, but crucially emits only 113 g/km of carbon dioxide.
The current ‘greenest’ Aston Martin is the V8 Vantage which (with the optional Speedshift transmission) produces 312 g/km. Therefore, the addition of Cygnet to the range would have a significant impact on Aston Martin’s average fleet emissions. That’s probably the real reason for the Cygnet’s existence, despite the marketing spiel trying to convince us otherwise.
Beauty is naturally subjective, but few would argue that Aston Martin’s current line up is anything less than stunningly attractive. Being based on the iQ, the Cygnet was never going to be as svelte as, say, the DB9.
That said, the designers have done a good job of incorporating Aston Martin styling cues, such as the grille and pop-out door handles. The only element that looks slightly contrived is the side vents just ahead of the doors.
Perhaps, though, the best example of ‘Astonisation’ is on the inside. The Toyota interior is ripped out, replaced by one that combines leather, Alcantara and aluminium. It’s a fairly effective attempt to replicate the ambience of the company’s sports cars.
Finally, soul. Given that even suggesting that a car could have a soul might spark off meaningless theological debate, it’s probably best to just ignore this one…
What about price? Toyota will sell you an iQ for just under £10,000 in the UK. That gets you a 1.0 litre model, whilst the range-topping 1.33 costs a shade over £13,000.
It is reckoned that the Cygnet will start at £30,000, rising to nearer £50,000 depending on customisation. That’s quite a lot for a very small city car.
But focussing on the price might be missing the point. Aston Martin will, for example, sell you a branded leather holdall for £340 or a pair of cuff links for £78. Similar items could easily be found on the high street for a tenth of those prices. They would fulfil the same function, but they probably wouldn’t be of the same quality, or have been designed with as much care. So perhaps the Cygnet shouldn’t be thought of as a car at all; it’s an accessory aimed at Aston Martin customers to whom cost is a secondary consideration.
They will be the people who determine whether the Cygnet is successful (at least until Aston Martin decide to offer it to the great unwashed). It will be for the rest of us to decide whether Cygnet drivers have impeccable taste and style, or are complete Muppets for paying £20,000 too much for a small Toyota.
Either way, in terms of profitability and reduced emissions, this car is important to the future of Aston Martin.
