Aston Martin Cygnet: It's on

It's really happening. Aston Martin is building a city car based on a Toyota for sale in Europe. What would James Bond think?

Aston Martin has released photos of its upcoming Cygnet city car that's based on Toyota's iQ. We've seen this one before, but now the concept's completed and it should go on sale in Europe by the end of 2010. Prices are expected to be around £20,000 or AU$36,000. Put this in perspective, the iQ begins from just under £10,000 or AU$18,000.

On the outside changes extend to new bumpers, bonnet, fenders, tail lights, wheels, Aston-style door handles and a very Aston grille. Despite the addition of bonnet vents, we've yet to hear anything about a power upgrade.

Inside, the Cygnet retains, for the most part, the iQ's cabin layout, but with a slathering of Aston Martin leather, a few glossy black bits and a leather pouch in lieu of a glovebox. One new feature is an iPod Touch cradle mounted in the centre of the dashboard. It looks a bit precariously mounted, but with engines ranging from one to 1.4 litres turning the wheels, we don't think that excessive Gs are something a Cygnet driver will have to worry about.

So, why is Aston Martin attempting to shift 2000 gussied up iQs (above) annually? Well, the Cygnet/iQ's low 120g/km of CO2 should pull Aston's fleet average emissions down to something more in line with the European standards.