2012 Aston Martin Cygnet

The 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet, shown here as a clay model, is the world's first luxury commuter car. See more pictures of small cars.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet

"Q, you've shrunk my Aston!" "Not really, 007. Those nice Toyota chaps have simply let us posh up their little iQ to be the world's first luxury commuter car. But tell me: Do you think Aston enthusiasts will approve?"

What We Know About the 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet

OK, Aston Martins aren't really inspired by Ian Fleming's fictional Q-branch, though it sometimes seems that way. Consider the new Cygnet. A late-June 2009 announcement, it marks a surprising and historic collaboration between 007's preferred motorcar company and industry-leader Toyota.

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The plot involves an impersonation worthy of a spy novel. Take Toyota's front-wheel-drive iQ minicar, which recently started sale in Japan and Europe; add Aston-flavored styling and interior appointments; then offer it to monied folks as a handy, economical city and suburban runabout with all the luxury, conveniences, and nameplate cachet of an Aston DB9, Vantage, or Rapide, plus super-easy parking and low Greenpeace-worthy emissions.

James Bond would certainly appreciate the Cygnet's improbable origins in a chance meeting between Aston CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez and Akio Toyoda, the recently appointed president of Toyota Motor Company in Japan and grandson of the company founder. According to Britain's Autocar magazine, the two moguls struck a friendship in early 2009 at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race, where their teams happened to share garage space. Bez apparently broached the Cygnet idea, Toyoda-san was willing, and the tiniest Aston ever was announced a few months later via tandem corporate e-mails.


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