2012 BMW M6 Spied Testing, gets New M5’s Twin-Turbo V8

The Cygnet is on its way to becoming a true Aston Martin, but not in the sense you might think. We are referring to its price tag with the release of a new limited run special called “Cygnet & colette” that will set buyers back a whopping €48,995, equal to £43,800 and US$70,550!

That’s £18,000 or US$29,000 more than the entry-level Cygnet. This kind of money can buy you a Porsche Boxster in the UK and you would still have more than £7,000 left for spending! And all this for a car that is essentially a re-trimmed Toyota iQ…

As fashionistas may have already guessed by know, the limited edition Cygnet was created in collaboration with Parisian fashion and style boutique, colette.

On the outside, it features a Lightning Silver paint job with bespoke colette blue styling details including a race collection inspired front bumper and bonnet livery, mirror caps and diamond turned road wheels.

Inside, the Cygnet special gets a “Bitter Chocolate themed interior” with hand-trimmed leather and quilted details.

Other unique elements include:

• Stainless steel hand formed and engraved door handle badges
• ‘Cygnet & colette’ branded hand enamelled boot badging manufactured by Thomas Fattorini
• Quilted Alcantara sun visors to complement the quilted leather door and seat inserts
• Hand trimmed, quilted colette blue leather occasional cushions for the rear seats
• ‘Cygnet & colette’ branding on satellite navigation start up
• A unique ‘Cygnet & colette’ key ring machined from solid aluminium with blue enamelling

The British automaker said its Aston Martin Works Tailored division crafted the ‘Cygnet & colette’ and that more special editions are to follow.

“The colette car is the first of the exclusive ‘Cygnet &’ collaborations,” said Aston Martin Director of Design, Marek Reichman. “These cars will give Aston Martin a relevant platform to reach out to new customers in urban areas.”

Aston Martin plans to build only 14 examples of the ‘Cygnet & colette’ city car with first deliveries expected by the end of the year.

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Bloomberg’s Adam Haynes on the Aston Martin Cygnet

You can’t spell, “Cygnet” without, “cynical marketing ploy”. The Toyota iQ-derived stocking stuffer iPhone accessory subcompact has prompted a neat little op-ed piece by Bloomberg correspondent (an ex-pat Aussie) Adam Haynes that includes some fascinating dialogue from Aston Martin insiders. Most of our readers will know by now that the Cygnet exists purely to counteract the 120 grams of CO2 per kilogram EU carbon restrictions to be introduced in 2012. With a combined CO2 g/km rating of 400, Aston Martin’s current fleet of high performance vehicles could never match this.
Company Design Director Marek Reichman justifies the Cygnet thusly:
“In cities, there’s less and less space on the road; less and less space to park. And the world is a changing world and I think as a brand if you don’t start to change and move with the times then there’s a fear that you get left behind and you become static.”
A statement that jokingly makes me worry that Aston Martin’s next move will be to start rebadging the Toyota Avensis as a Lagonda… Cygnet Brand Manager Andy Haslam is a little less pessimistic:
“We can continue to build sports cars and we continue to improve them. What Cygnet allows us to do is not have to compromise how we want to build our sports cars.”
The £30,995 1.3 L hatch, which sells for more than twice the price of a range-topping Toyota iQ, will be limited to 1,500 units a year. Some 400 advanced orders have been placed at the time of writing. Unconfirmed rumors (mainly spread by yours truly) of a Ferrari-badged Fiat 500 or Maybach-badged Smart ForTwo continue unabated.
You can check out Bloomberg’s video below and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

By Tristan Hankins

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Toyota iQ Disco Concept to Glamour Rock German Showrooms

Say 'hallo' to Toyota's bling-bling shiny iQ Disco, a concept model that was created by the firm's German division purely for demonstration purposes as the oversized Japanese disco ball on wheels will tour dealerships all over the country, starting from showrooms in Cologne.

The tiny Toyota model, which will be sold to Americans under the Scion brand and to super rich buyers under the Aston Martin brand as the Cygnet, has been wrapped in a disco-ball-like sparkling foil and features 18-inch alloy wheels and scissor doors.

The transformation wouldn't be complete without a professional DJ system that consists of 15-inch bass reflex subwoofer, a two-channel mixer and two Numark NDX 800 players. Toyota said the system can play various music formats and delivers up to 1000 watts and a peak sound pressure of 130 dB.

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Aston Martin Cygnet Mini Confirmed for Production, Sales Start in 2011

It's officially official; Aston Martin today confirmed that the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet luxury city car is to go into production with sales to start in 2011. The British automaker said details on pricing and specification will be announced by the end of this year. However it is believed the Cygnet will cost between £30,000-50,000 in the UK, or about US$47,500-79,000 / €34,000 -57,000 at the current exchange rates, and will initially be sold only to existing Aston customers.

Originally shown as a pre-production concept car at this year's Geneva Salon in March, the Cygnet is an Aston Martin-flavored version of the Toyota iQ city car with unique styling cues such as the front grille, bumper designs, exterior trim and alloy wheels, plus a high-luxury interior with details inspired by the automaker's supercar range.

"It is time to think differently. Aston Martin is honest and we don't make compromises" says Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez.

"Whatever we do, we do right. If we do performance, we do performance; we don't downsize or compromise 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. Our customers need a small car for urban and city use, and they want the right tools for the right job, to downsize creatively without compromising intelligence, artistry and personality."

Dr Bez added: "The Cygnet is designed to support our sports cars by providing a greater degree of freedom in the urban context; it is a very special car, a premium but compact package with heart, soul and personality. This car is reality; Cygnet is the natural choice for those who want a premium, bespoke commuter car."

The baby Aston Martin will be built at the company's Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, with the base Toyota iQs being imported to the UK from Japan. It is expected that the three-meter long (117.5-in.) Cygnet will keep the iQs 1.33-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 98-horsepower, hooked up to a 6-speed manual or an optional CVT.

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