New Aston Martin

[ulstermayniac]

www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/aston-martin-cygnet-2009-06-29

Awww, I hope they do make this, I think it is so dinky and cute, but they do, seriously need to do something about the colour. Unless that is just an undercoat.

[Wyvern]

It's clay, UM - they're sculpting it

You can see all the shavings under the car.

[ulstermayniac]

Oh, I never looked at it that properly. *is embarrassed*

It does look like a funky little thing though, come on Aston, make it please!!

[(Ali)]

Sorry but I agree with the first commenter on the page. That? is NOT an Aston.

[ulstermayniac]

Not even a little one?

[dutchdiva]

Oh so cute!!! I want one !

[ulstermayniac]

Yeah! A little bluw one or a black one with skulls on it!

[TheDaisy]

Yuh, good luck. Apparently you need to already be an Aston owner in order to have one of those little thingys.
Anyone here already have an Aston? ;D

[ulstermayniac]

No! That's a bit unfair isn't it?

[Wyvern]

That's the initial plan. I bet they'll filter through to the second hand market quite quickly, and Aston may well put them on general sale later on.

I actually really like the idea of them selling them as a package with a bigger Aston, because it means people can have their expensive, planet-eating supercars, but they can use the dinky little iQ in a party frock as their daily driver and the greenies can't complain. If they keep the manual Toyota drivetrain 'as is', it's likely to qualify for zero road tax, producing 99 CO2s (the auto produces 110 CO2s, so they'll pay £35 for that, which still isn't a big increase when you'll pay £400 tax per year on a new V12 Vantage* - and next year, when they bring in the 'First Year' brackets, it will be £950, with £405 (at current rates) for subsequent years).

However, I hate the idea of it being on general sale. An Aston Martin is supposed to be a rarified, glorious, aspirational thing - if you can buy one for £20,000 it kind of dents that image a bit. Still, at least, being a Toyota under the bonnet, it will be more reliable than a typical Aston!


*which, if you're interested, puts out 488 CO2s

[ulstermayniac]

Well I can see your point on that one, but not everyone can afford a 'proper' Aston and may never be able to do so but if this little thing goes on general sale and it is prived at about £20k then a lot of ordinary people may not buy them because they can get the same thing cheaper somewhere else.

[Wyvern]

It'll be cheaper to insure as a Toyota iQ, that's for sure.

[ulstermayniac]

Definitely, esp if the iQ has only 99 CO2s, you get your tax for free!

[misspan]

They need to keep it as you can only buy one if you have a "proper" one or they would destroy the brand.

I would love one for that reason then though - because it means I would have the DBS I wanttttttttttt

[ulstermayniac]

Do you all think that there is a genuine possibility that they will produce it?

[Squidge]

An Aston Martin is supposed to be a rarified, glorious, aspirational thing - if you can buy one for £20,000 it kind of dents that image a bit.

Perhaps, but Mercedes has the Smart car, and that really hasn't hurt their image. At least not over here.

[Wyvern]

No, but in Europe at least, Mercedes isn't generally thought of as 'ultra high-end' in the same way as Aston Martin. I think that may be because although they do make the occasional hypercar, they also make cars that are generally more affordable; they might cost a bit more than a Volvo or a Ford, but there is some overlap, and you certainly see an awful lot more Mercedes, BMW and Audi cars on the road (all considered to be roughly in the same 'high quality' bracket). They have a certain prestige, but neither the rarity value nor the same level of aspirational appeal.

As far as the Smart goes, it is not sold as a Mercedes, but under the Smart marque, even though it is sometimes (but not always) sold through Mercedes dealerships. That's another difference, and is really roughly comparable with the Mini not being sold as a BMW even though it is. There are always exceptions, though - the AMG and Brabus versions of the Smart (and yes, they do exist) are badged as Mercedes but still referred to as Smarts. It is, however, very expensive for what it is, and does fit in generally with Mercedes' pricing strategy, a little below the entry-level edition of the A Class (their small 'runabout'). As a product, it fits with their range quite well.

The little Aston/iQ thing is just completely alien to the brand as a whole, except as an accessory. It's a great idea as long as they don't put it on general sale.

[ulstermayniac]

Do you think that if it did go on general sale, that it would detract from the brand in any way? At £20k, it does still seem to be quite expensive for what it is.

Also, if they only sell it with another Aston, as a package, what is then to stop the owner of the cars selling the little Aston/iQ on the second hand market?

[Wyvern]

I do. For a start, it would probably be more reliable than a 'proper' Aston Martin, which are notoriously prone to breaking down, so it'll make the bigger cars look bad. It would also make Aston Martins more common on the road, which would detract from the rarity of the badge in general, but would also probably lead to people looking at the 'baby' Aston and laughing, because people who take an interest in cars will know it's just a massively over-priced iQ in fancy dress. Additionally, Aston Martin ONLY makes race-inspired top-end cars, stripped of extraneous detail in favour of performance - and who wants an iQ with no options at all? Another big part of the brand identity is tied up in the sound of the cars, which this is simply not going to have unless they bugger about massively with the drive train, which will defeat the object of building a small, economical runabout.

As I said, though, selling it as part of a package is possibly a very good plan indeed. And if the owners sell them on, that's fair enough, but as they'd only ever have initially been sold as part of a package with the bigger cars, they will remain rare, interesting and possibly even highly collectible. Selling them as a package won't harm the brand at all - putting them on general release probably will. I've been to Aston Martin in Park Lane and spent a lot of time talking to the people there about the design ethos of the cars and to be honest, I can't imagine how one of these would look in the showroom. Still, it will be interesting to see, if it happens.

Funnily enough, I actually really like the iQ, even though ever instinct in my car-loving soul says I shouldn't. My car-loving soul finds this whole thing very odd.

[ulstermayniac]

I think the iQ is a cool little thing, I think it's quite clever and funky.

[Squidge]

Thanks for the explanation, Wyvern. Obviously I'm not a petrolhead, and as much as I'd like to say that Aston's are as rare as rocking horse poo, they still don't have the presence here that Mercedes, Audi's and Porsche's enjoy.

Come to think of it, that leads me to an interesting observation. Despite the economic downturn, I'm seeing an increase in high-end automobiles. I actually passed a Porsche Boxster the other day, and that's not something you generally see around these parts.

Honestly, where are these people getting the money? You can't swing a dead cat now without hitting a Hummer.

[lew]

I have to say where I live if I hear the word Aston Martin I think not again I must see at least 3 a day ....though if I were given one, I'd go on bended knee and thank the world ;D thanks for that wy

[ulstermayniac]

Wy, it seems that you and Richard have the same thoughts on this subject.

blogs.mirror.co.uk/cars-motorbikes/2009/07/aston-martins-cygnet-is-not-an.html

[Wyvern]

Glad it's not just me.

And here's another good reason for buying a Smart rather than a 2+2 for people from the Douglas Bader School of Body Modification...

[ulstermayniac]

They do have a point.

[Squidge]

HAHAHAHA!!!