Aston Martin "iQ" Cygnet - Já tem preços!

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Aston Martin is developing an electric version of the controversial Cygnet city car – which is expected to make a splash as the first Aston Martin EV in history.

Why is Aston launching an electric Cygnet?
The e-Cygnet will glide silently on the coat tails of a proposed electric Toyota iQ, the Japanese city car that provides the foundation for Aston’s city car. Toyota is preparing its baby EV for launch in 2012, and the Aston version is expected from 2013.

Aston suits reckon an electric Cygnet is a no-brainer, since this is a commuter car which may require a ZEV rating to meet the increasingly stringent urban emission laws in many key markets.

So will we see plenty of Aston Martin EVs in future?
Not in a rush. Aston Martin chief exec Ulrich Bez reckons an electric Cygnet is a shoe-in, but is more sceptical over bigger cars using complex hybrids and energy recovery systems.

An engineer by trade, Bez is known to be highly critical of hybrids and of KERS. According to the AML supremo, hybrids do more damage than good to the environment. He dislikes KERS for adding weight and complexity - and for that untimely power boost which he deems counter-productive in a 400bhp-plus sports car.


CAR Magazine interviews Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez

Read the full interview with Dr Bez in the new June 2011 issue of CAR Magazine out this week. In it, he reveals plans for future Aston Martins, talks about future engine strategy and explains why the Cygnet is great for business.

If early incoming orders are anything to go by, the Cygnet should find at least 1500 takers per year. Does an Aston Martin with a 98bhp engine really make sense?

‘We believe there is a market for an urban runabout which is easy to park and very economical yet almost as well appointed as a Vantage,’ Dr Bez tells CAR.

Why Aston’s Cygnet is more profitable than some V8s
Financially, the Cygnet is bound to fly. Bought wholesale at under £10k but sold for £31k+, this bird yields a fatter margin than some of the Aston Martin coupes and roadsters boasting two or three times as many cylinders.

Which puts a whole different spin on why Aston is launching the Cygnet.

Tendo em conta isto, ao conseguir margens superiores que os seus próprios modelos, compreende-se como o Cygnet pode ser um óptimo negócio para a Aston

[xeLa]

Como isto estava a ser repost, só tenho a dizer que isso é realmente um negócio dos bons para a marca.

Nunca um segmento A deve ter tido tanta qualidade no interior, suponho eu.

[OTony]

Um amigo disse-me que passou por um ontem... é possível???

[DaNieL77]

É. Já vi um (vermelho) em frente à AM na Avenida da Boavista.

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What is it?
If there were a prize for the daftest car to be launched so far this century, the new Aston Martin Cygnet would have to be a strong contender.

This, at least, is what most people who buy city cars will think. For most of them small means cheap, and the Cygnet breaks every rule.

At £30,995 the baby Aston costs more than double the price of the £12,500 Toyota that donated all its major components — body, chassis, suspension, engine transmission.

For the extra cost you get a proper Aston paint-job, a superb hand-fitted and bespoke interior (with as many leather hides in it as are needed to trim a DB9), a series of body mods that give the Cygnet its own visual identity (including a superb extruded aluminium grille from the same supplier as does for the million-pound One-77) and the magic of the Aston Martin name.

What’s it like?
The Cygnet is quite different from any other Aston Martin. At just three metres overall it is the smallest Aston in history. It is its first dedicated city car, and it is probably the slowest Aston in modern times, achieving just 106 mph flat out, and sprinting from 0-60 mph in 11.5 seconds — more than twice the time it takes any other contemporary Aston.

Why do we need it? First, because Aston realises that many of its owners also need nippy inner-city transport, and would enjoy driving a luxurious baby Aston if there were one available.

Second, because tough taxes are coming for manufacturers of thirsty cars; the Cygnet’s combined consumption of 54 mpg, plus its modest 120g/km CO2 output, help counterbalance Aston’s monsters. Actually, with the optional CVT (which costs another £1000 or so) these figures are hardly special for such a small car, but they’re a helluva lot better than what you get from a DB9.

In the flesh, the car is impressive. The Aston paint process gives it a glass-like paint finish (they use the same finishing techniques as for a £150,000 Aston) and once you sample the comfort of the hand-finished interior, with every surface covered either in handbag-quality leather, Alcantara or first-quality carpet, you start to see the millionaire’s case for the Cygnet.

The major components may be by Toyota (and none the worse for that) but the see-touch-feel details are Aston’s own, things like new instrument graphics, special metal inner door handles, a superb polished alloy gear-gate, a bespoke alloy shift lever and lots more.

On the road, unsurprisingly, the car is all iQ, quietened somewhat by its denser trim. Even the tyre sizes are iQ, though the wheels (standard eight-spoke alloys or an optional 16-spoke set) are designed in Aston’s own studios.

The 97bhp four-cylinder engine feels and sounds energetic up to 50-60 mph. The optional CVT transmission gives easy step-off at traffic lights. In this car it it’s a much better option in a city car than any fiddly five-speeder.

The Cygnet can produce a quite refined cruising performance on motorways if necessary, though passing performance isn’t its forte.

The steering is feather-light and nicely accurate. If you haven’t sampled an IQ you’ll be surprised by the sheer pleasure that flows from using its scooter-like turning circle, especially when it’s a viable three-seater, that can occasionally cope with four if you don’t mind having no boot space.

Should I buy one?
Depends who you are. If you’re rich and are open to the concept of a luxurious little city car that can be selected from options list of a new Aston supercar, you may love the Cygnet.

Around 400 people, nearly all big Aston owners, have already ordered one, and the company reckons it can sell 1500 a year. If you’re not one of these people, don’t worry about it. Just don’t give the Aston Martin Cygnet another thought.

in Autocar

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Aston Martin Cygnet (2011) CAR review

By Jethro Bovingdon

First Drives

30 May 2011 00:01


Is this the most controversial car of 2011? The new Aston Martin Cygnet is either a fabulously clever way to make a heap of money and cut CO2 emissions, or an abomination not fit to wear the iconic winged badge, depending upon whom you talk to.

Now we’ve driven the Aston Martin Cygnet in its natural city habitat. Read our first drive review to find out why we remain confused and less than convinced.

So what makes the Cygnet a real Aston?
Well, certainly nothing in the engine bay or the chassis itself. Aston has chosen not to alter the mechanical package at all. The Cygnet gets the larger 1.33-litre VVT engine (there’s no 1.0-litre option) with 97bhp at 6000rpm and 92lb ft at 4400rpm. You can have a six-speed manual at £30,995 or a CVT auto at £32,115. That makes this Aston rather, erm, slow. It tops out at 106mph and covers the 0-62mph dash in a yawning 11.8 seconds. However, zipping through London it feels just about quick enough, although it needs to be revved quite hard to deliver the goods.

The real transformation is the exterior styling and the interior detailing. There’s leather everywhere inside and Aston claim is uses the same number of hides to trim a Cygnet as it does a DB9 or Virage. The result is rather odd. It’s great that some of the iQ’s poor quality trim is covered up, but the way the exquisite Aston materials butt up against cheap plastic is very odd.

It can’t quite mask the humble roots of the Cygnet. The grab handles are a case in point. Simple, cheap plastic items wrapped in hand-stitched leather. What did Obama say about pigs and lipstick again? There are 22 different hides offered and 30 exterior colours. If you want a different colour, it’ll be an extra £5495.

Externally the Cygnet only shares a roof panel with the iQ, everything else is bespoke. So there are new door skins, wings, bonnet, light units… the list goes on. Once all the panels are refitted the surface is flatted and then painted in Aston’s own booth for the full Aston-quality finish. It certainly looks beautifully finished and it’s chunkier and more expensive-looking than the iQ. However, most will find the Aston grille looks a bit incongruous. I know we like to moan that all Astons look the same… but this could be a step too far!

Does it feel like an Aston or an iQ going to a bondage club?
Not like any Aston I’ve ever driven. The interior is leagues ahead of the iQ in terms of materials and finish but I’m not sure it actually feels special. Just a bit curious. Dynamically it’s not exactly bubbling with Aston DNA either. The manual ‘box is pretty awful, the ride is unsettled due to that short wheelbase and the throttle response is very soft and lazy. This is, of course, all down to the iQ donor vehicle, but the price and the badge say Aston, so it’s right to expect a higher quality driving experience.

However, this is a car aimed at those with an addiction to luxury brands and deep enough pockets not to worry about the odd zero here and there. The sort of person who might spend £3000 on a made-to-measure suit or £5000 on a handbag. Judging by the reaction around London to the Cygnet, it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. And plenty of people much cooler than I seemed to think it was ‘beautiful’.

Should you buy one?
Well, 400 people already have and Aston can build as many as 1500 per year. That should do wonders for their average CO2 emissions and profit. Aston also claim that new customers are walking in to their dealers to buy a Cygnet and walking out with a V8 Vantage or DB9, too. If that’s true then maybe the Cygnet really is marketing genius at work.

Verdict
However, we all love cars right? We love them for the way they drive, the engineering ingenuity they represent and the way they make us feel. For car enthusiasts like us the Cygnet holds little appeal. But if it funds the next generation of V8 and V12 sports and GT cars, then good luck to it.

CAR's rating 3/5
Handling 3/5
Performance 2/5
Usability 3/5
Feelgood factor 4/5
Readers' rating 3/5

[xeLa]

Vídeo: http://bloom.bg/jOQ2qU#ooid=42ZjZoMj...Si6RKdmJOsMjfz

[BLADERUNNER]

Limited edition Cygnet launched

Aston Martin has teamed up with Parisian fashion house colette to create the Aston Martin Cygnet and colette luxury city car.
Just 14 examples have been commissioned by the French firm, which will be ‘hand-crafted by Aston Martin Works Tailored.’
See the official pics of the Aston Martin Cynet and colette
Externally, the limited edition car features Lightning Silver paint with colette blue details, including “race inspired front bumper and bonnet livery, mirror caps and diamond turned road wheels,” according to Aston.
Inside, the limited Cygnet gets a “Bitter Chocolate themed interior,” with Alcantara sun visors, blue leather ‘occasional cushions’ in the rear and Cygnet & colette badging.
Aston Martin director of design Marek Reichman said: “The colette car is the first of the exclusive ‘Cygnet and’ collaborations. These cars will give Aston Martin a relevant platform to reach out to new customers in urban areas.”
Read our first drive review of the Aston Martin Cygnet
Orders for the Cygnet & Colette luxury city car can be made through the colette store in Paris for delivery by the end of the year.
Prices start from £43,68.

[Favorit]

Quando me sair o totoloto compro um carro destes.

[Fahrenheit]

Já há specs disponiveis?

[filipeGtturbo]

Durante o circuito da Boavista estavam 3 no stand da AM, dois já matriculados

[SevenTrixx]

Já circulavam na zona da Bancada VIP ( castelo do queijo)

[BLADERUNNER]

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Aston Martin Cygnet V12 possible
Aston's V12 could be installed in the Cygnet city car to create a Nissan Juke R-rivaly

The Aston Martin Cygnet city car could be sold with the firm’s V12 engine if there is sufficient customer demand.

Sources suggest that a feasibility study has already been completed, and that the 6.0-litre V12 from its range-topping cars will fit the tiny city car’s engine bay without extensive modifications.

Other upgrades to allow the Toyota IQ-based Cygnet to handle the weight, horsepower and torque of the powertrain are said to be “significant but not insurmountable”. It is likely, however, that the V12 would have to be detuned significantly from the 510bhp it produces in the new DB9 and Vantage models.

The Cygnet is currently sold in one state of tune, powered by Toyota’s 97bhp 1.3-litre petrol unit.

If Aston gives the go-ahead for a production Cygnet V12 it is likely to be sold as a project car much like the Nissan Juke R has been. The Juke R, which fits the Nissan GT-R’s running gear into a Juke supermini body, sells for around £400,000. It was put into limited production, mainly for the Middle East market, following a positive reaction to the concept car’s creation.

WTF???

[Fraga]

O motor vai onde? Ao lado do condutor? Onde viste isso?

[john_5414]

Aston Martin Cygnet V12 possible
Aston's V12 could be installed in the Cygnet city car to create a Nissan Juke R-rivaly



WTF???

E daqui a pouco vem o Smart Fortwo com o motor do SL65

[mELIANTE]

O motor vai onde? Ao lado do condutor? Onde viste isso?

Não, o condutor é que vai ao lado do motor. E o carro também.