Famous for its range of iconic British sports cars, Aston Martin has been focused on expanding its market lately, first with the Rapide, a four-door sports saloon and now with the micro-sized Cygnet. The ad attracted a lot of attention, as the car is a far cry from the typical type of car that the automaker sells. The official Aston Martins line is that the Cygnet is a “luxury commuter car” in which “the company’s core values ​​relate to a new environment.” The real reason for Cygnet’s existence is to help the company comply with European emission standards. The high efficiency of the new super mini helps to reduce average emissions across the range.

Announced in mid-2009, the first Cygnet will start hitting the roads sometime in 2010. Despite its diminutive size, the car is still priced at Aston Martin, which is expected to sell for around £ 30,000 ( $ 50,000 USD). To further maintain exclusivity, the Cygnet will only be available to existing Aston Martin owners and annual production is expected to be less than 5,000.

Despite the high cost, the Cygnet is not a custom design and is actually based on the Toyota iQ, a low-cost microcar that was originally launched in 2008. Beneath the heavy modifications that give the Cygnet its Aston appearance Martin, the foundations of the car from the initial models will share a lot with its brother Toyota, even down to the engine, which will be the original 1.33-liter Toyota. The actual differences will be primarily cosmetic, most obviously with the exterior having new body panels and lights. The end result resembles a DB9 that has been tightened from the bumper to the hood in a vise. The interior of the Cygnet has also been revamped and, from the inside, it feels closer to classic elegance than the Toyota on which the mini Aston is based.

The Cygnet has received a very mixed response since its announcement and it remains to be seen how the car will fare once it is available. Too expensive for the typical microcar owner and frankly too embarrassing for Aston Martin owners to drive. If the Cygnet really is simply an exercise in emissions compliance, the reality is that Aston Martin will produce 5,000 cars a year that will rarely leave the garage – not exactly the eco-friendly result that the European Union was seeking.