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Aston Martin

Thank christ for that!

Aston Martin Cygnet Concept

We have no idea who The Supercar Kids are but if their source for this latest rumour is bang on we don’t really care. They claim that production of that Aston Martin Cynical abomination has quietly come to an end.

The Toyota iQ based city car sucked in the great Stirling Moss, of all people, and probably a few others along the way. It was horrible as a concept car and we think the world very nearly ended when confirmation of its production was announced.

Unsurprisingly, we’re warned, there’s still quite a few unsold ugly ducklings in Aston Martin dealerships around the world. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

[Source: The Supercar Kids]

Categories
Aston Martin

Bloody hell, they’re really going to make it!

Aston Martin Cygnet Concept

We love Aston Martin for many things. The fact their CEO competes in the Nürburgring 24 hour race is clearly a very cool thing. But, this ‘Cynical’, a rebadged Toyota econobox, is definitely not a reason to love Aston. While it was always likely to be an inevitability, a little piece of me died when I read Aston Martin’s confirmation that the ‘Cynical’ will be going into full production next year.

You can read the full gory details in the press release below.

UPDATE: Thanks to AUSmotive reader Chris for reminding me about the video that accompanies this latest deception (watch it below, if you can stomach it). When you start an Aston Martin the words Power, Beauty and Soul come up on the dash. A bit twee, yes, but they’re reasonable words to reinforce key brand messages. Let’s apply those words to the ‘Cynical’ then; Power: no; Beauty: not really; Soul: definitely not. Job well done—let’s build it!

UPDATE 19 October: Looks like Chris Harris agrees with AUSmotive too.

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Aston Martin

Aston Martin test Gulf livery theory with Cygnet Concept

Aston Martin Cygnet

The motoring landscape in the 21st century is far more complicated than it ever used to be. This is a world where the likes of the BMW GT, MINI Countryman and Porsche Cayenne are pushing their respective brands into segments that we never knew existed, much less knew such models could fill. It does appear we spend a lot of time these days scratching our heads, wondering what on earth they were thinking.

Not wanting to be left out, Aston Martin have released a bunch of new images showcasing their Cygnet ‘Cynical’ Concept. You remember, that’s the car that looks like some kid has shrunk its proportions in Photoshop just for a laugh. Only Aston is for real. They’ve even put the “any car will look good in Gulf Racing colours” theory to the test, as shown above. Hmm, we’re really pushing the friendship there. At least when the theory was tested on a Tata Nano you got the sense those responsible were taking the piss.

But with Aston I’m not so sure. They’re showing genuine intent with the ‘Cynical’. So much so, that Aston’s Chief Executive Dr Ulrich Bez is already doing the hard sell, “The Cygnet Concept brings intelligence, innovation and artistry to the small car market. The Cygnet Concept represents the natural choice for those customers looking for a premium commuter car.

“Our past, our future and our backbone will always remain sports cars, but the Cygnet Concept will support this by offering our customers a greater degree of freedom in the urban context.”

As if your sanity wasn’t already being tested enough, Autocar reckon pricing for a fully loaded ‘Cynical’ could nudge £50K (see YouTube clip at the end of this article). That’s $80,000 in our money. Has Aston gone mad?!

For more arty ‘Cynical’ images be sure to take the jump. And don’t be surprised if we see some ‘Cynical’ product placement in the next James Bond movie, either. Groan.