Become James Bond for the Day

[sangbmt]

A favourite of James Bond, a stalwart of the Le Mans 24 Hour Race series and an instantly recognisable British brand, Aston Martin is a byword for stylish, luxurious and high performance sports cars. Indeed, the current CEO, Ulrich Bez, defines the Aston Martin driving experience as one that combines power, beauty and soul. Founded way back in 1914, Aston Martin has experienced something of a chequered history but boasts a rich heritage of hand-building sports cars that are not only of the very highest quality but that have a distinctive and individual character.

Consequently, it comes as something of a surprise that the company should announce the production of a 1.3 litre city car with less than 100bhp - it hardly sets the pulse racing! However, that's exactly what Aston Martin have done, with their new Cygnet model due to hit the showrooms in Spring 2011.

The Aston Martin Cygnet is based very much on the pint-sized Toyota IQ, but with any number of style and design modifications - both inside and out. Aston Martin claim that the Cygnet will encompass all of the elegance, luxury and craftsmanship that has come to be expected from the brand, just in a smaller package. The microcar will be tailor fit and hand finished, meaning that no two cars will be quite the same. Customers will be able to select from almost any combination of colour, trim and finish, which, Aston Martin say, will deliver an "individual urban driving experience tailor fit for you."

As well as the sumptuous, bespoke interior that will be available to Cygnet owners, the Aston Martin will be readily distinguishable from its Toyota counterpart as a result of the addition of sporty body panels, rear lights that are reminiscent of the DB9, the trademark "snarling grill" and, of course, the all important Aston Martin badge. Initially, it had been announced that the Cygnet would only be available to owners of, for want of a better word, "proper" Aston Martins. However, this restriction has since been relaxed and it will be now be available for all to drive, with a price tag starting at around £30,000.

So, why have Aston Martin developed the Cygnet? Well, while the company line from is (rather vaguely) that it will provide Aston Martin drivers with "a greater degree of freedom in the urban context", the true reason has more to do with EU rules on the average CO2 emissions from the car manufacturer's range. With emissions from the Toyota engine as low as 113g/km, the Cygnet will certainly have greener credentials than its more petrol-hungry big brothers and help the company comply with new European regulations. It will be interesting to see if this eco-friendly focus will be to the detriment of the classic Aston Martin driving experience.

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