Aston launches Cygnet in the UK 16 | 11 | 2010

    LIKE IT OR loath it, Aston Martin has put its first final production Cygnet on show to the public ... in the window of Harrods in Knightsbridge. The smallest Aston ever is based on Toyota iQs built in Japan, which are then specially imported to the UK for Aston. The titchy luxury car will be put into full-scale production at Aston’s Gaydon headquarters next year.

    Aston has incorporated much of its design language into the iQ — all the design and build work of the Cygnet is carried out at Gaydon —most noticeably, by including its signature front grille.

    While the Cygnet has come in for a lot of stick, primarily because most people see it as devaluing the iconic brand, Aston CEO Ulrich Bez defended it saying it’s been primarily designed to help Aston lower its fleet-average CO2 emissions in the face of strict upcoming EU legislation.

    “Aston Martin is honest and we don’t make compromises,” he said. “Whatever we do, we do it right. If we do performance, we do performance; we won’t downsize our sports cars.

    “The Cygnet needs to satisfy the demands of emissions and space. It is a car without compromise, just like every other Aston Martin."

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