Aston Martin has today confirmed that the Cygnet will go into production in 2011 at the company's Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire.
That may be a bit of a misrepresentation, as any fule knos the Toyota iQ is actually built at TMC's Takaoka Plant in Japan, but a few new body parts and an interior re-trim are supposedly enough to officially 'Aston-ise' the popular city car.
While some may think of the Cygnet as the cuckoo in Aston Martin's nest (Geddit?), others will doubtless be attracted by the bespoke leathery luxury of its cabin and the badge.
Aston Martin itself says 'the Cygnet is a city car that sets a new benchmark for compact luxury, building upon nearly a century of experience building high performance sports cars, luxurious long-range grand tourers, and extremely competitive racing machines,' and that the 'Cygnet demonstrates Aston Martin's commitment to innovation and integrity'.
"It is time to think differently. Aston Martin is honest and we don't make compromises," says Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez.
Oh well, 'needs must' and all that. And if sales of a rebadged Toyota city car help Aston Martin retain the core values of its core product line-up, we can hardly grumble.
In fact, if we're honest we'd probably quite enjoy a tootle in a Cygnet, but only after donning dark glasses and a false moustache.
Further details on the Aston Martin Cygnet including pricing and specification will be announced later this year, they say. Meanwhile, we offer a picture of a real man's Aston for any PHers who need their equilibrium restored...
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