Bond on a Budget, Aston Martin to Build Minicar

FoxNews.com/Times UK ^ | 7/1/2009

[SonOfDarkSkies]

James Bond screeches around hairpin bends in them with a beautiful woman at his side, while they are the car of choice for European royalty in which to parade themselves around the Continent’s more opulent capitals.

Now, at last, the opportunity to pop out to the supermarket behind the wheel of an Aston Martin will be opened to the more conventional motorist.

The Aston Martin Cygnet — a new “luxury commuter concept” car, according to its marketeers — is to be built on the base of Toyota’s existing iQ city car and is likely to be available for less than $33,000.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

[steve8714]

Looks like a Yaris.

[Red Badger]

.....and when you’re not driving it, it’s a lawn ornament!...............

[1rudeboy]

A $30,000 car that looks like a Fiat 500? No thanks.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

I would rather have the real deal. Here's a 1964 DB5...

[frithguild]

This kind of idea worked so well in the past:

[GonzoGOP]

Ok yes the DB5 could get me to drive a small car. But there is no Chance you will ever see me in the Econobox from the article.

Heck just bring back the DB5. As small as it was, and when equipped with a modern turbocharged engine it would get decent gas mileage, blow the doors off your average street rod, and look cool.

[Cyclone59]

Ahhh, yes, the rebadged Cavalier.....

[bondjamesbond]

For $33k, I would buy two Yarises (Yarii?) and have $7,000 left over for a hot motorcycle.

The only thing that makes this an Aston Martin is the Grille, Hood Scoops and Side Vents. They are destroying the identity of the brand to score quick bucks.

This will ultimately be self-defeating of course. It is a mistake car companies make over and over again. This model will not pull Toyota up, but it will pull Aston Martin down.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

Well, Bond...you oughta know!;-)

[truth_seeker]

The BMW Mini proves the validity of the market segment. (followed by the 1 series, indicating BMW sees downward trend in vehicles sizes)

VW Group has a new Audi A1, in the segment.

GM has? (it would need to be a Cadillac to be considered “luxury”)

Chrysler has? (they don’t have a remaining “luxury” brand)

Ford has? (perhaps Lincoln is considered “luxury” to some)

This is a market segment virtually unavailable to US makers, because except Cadillac, no true luxury brand remains. IMO.

They abandoned the segment, when they failed to defend against Lexus, Infiniti and Acura—and of course the German brands.

It would be interesting to see what Honda might do with an Acura brand small luxury vehicle.

On a different topic, Lexus is introducing a smaller Hybrid, as a stay-in-brand move up for Prius owners.

[BRK]

I now live here in Italy and the Toyota IQ is availaible here. It is really a neat little car and the unexpected attraction is the quality and the overall high techiness of some of these small cars. The Yaris is not really one of them, but cars like the Mini Cooper, the IQ, the Fiat 500 all represent something different than the cheap little POS like the Yaris. I was in the middle east before where every car was a Toyota Landcruiser or a Suburban. These small cars there look like toys like they do in the USA. Here in Italy they seem normal and going to work is like being at the go-kart track. Bottom line is that there is no need to unload on this little effort by Aston Martin. It is not like the Cimarron.