Famed racing driver Sir Stirling Moss owns one, but not many others plunked down the equivalent of about $50,000 for what is essentially a gussied-up Scion (Toyota) iQ Smart-car-fighter.
The tiny Cygnet was never sold in North America and now it never will be, since A-M has shut down production after less than two years and with a fair supply of cars remaining unsold. Driving Fans always thought that the idea of marketing a luxury micro model – especially a made-over product supplied by a distant manufacturer – was a terrible idea for such a storied brand that prides itself on producing the ultimate in high-powered luxury sports cars. One wonders what became of the Aston-Martin exec that signed off on this bizarre scheme.
Badge-engineering just isn’t a good fit for a manufacturer of handmade luxury performance cars like Aston Martin. No matter what restyling was done, the Cygnet was still obviously just a Toyota at heart, and there wasn’t much chance of even the most addled Aston fan thinking that this little car was anything other than a pretender to the line. Word is that the Cygnet was marketed primarily to boost Aston Martin’s fuel-economy average, but even this scheme seems to have failed, as the little car (cheeky though it may be) will have a negative effect on the brand’s reputation.
If nothing else, future collectors now have a curiosity to add to their Aston Martin list.
