A couple of weeks ago, returning from a trip to the Cotswold Motoring Museum, I was playing I spy with an auto knowledgeable Italian 13 year old as we drove through Cheltenham looking at the back of this car it was my turn to say I spy something beginning with C, we dispensed with the manufacturers initials after only a coupe of rounds.
C-Max he said pointing to the Ford in front of us, no I replied, he gave up quickly and I pointed to the back of this Aston Martin and said ‘Cygnet’.
No no he appealed Toyota iQ just like my Auntie in Milan. I pulled over at the next junction parked the car and we went to have a look.
To stay ahead in the automotive industry just like in motor sport one has to think laterally, so when the European Union announced regulations that car manufacturers had to reduce the average fuel consumption across their fleet average Aston Martin wasted little time in finding a partner making low emissions vehicles.
Settling on a partnership with Toyota to make a high end, at £30,000 that is the extremely exclusive high end, version of the Toyota iQ a vehicle that will cost as little as £10,000.
From the rear the two cars, apart from the badging and diffuser are identical, while the front gets the Aston Martin look with grills and trim that is without doubt not from the Toyota parts bin.
The interior is also bespoke Aston Martin customers choosing abundant stitched leather in a variety of two tone colour combinations.
Performance is quoted as 107 mph with the CVT (constant velocity transmission) automatic being 0.2 secs faster than the 6 speed manual in the 60 mph dash that takes 11.6 seconds.
Aston Martin hope to sell 4000 Cygnets, which went on sale in the UK earlier this year, annually.
Thanks for joining me on this I Spy edition of Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !
