The concept will offer Aston Martin trademark design in a commuter car package based on the critically acclaimed Toyota iQ with a Euro NCAP 5-star safety package.

The ‘Cygnet’ concept represents a creative, environmentally conscious solution, being small, yet with presence – and highly fuel efficient, now combined with the prestige of Aston Martin’s luxury brand ownership.

Aston Martin, the world leader in exclusive niche engineering is collaborating on this concept with Toyota the world leader in volume, quality and reliability. Although vastly different in size, Toyota and Aston Martin share the philosophy of engineering excellence and innovation underlined by a strong passion for cars.

Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “Now is the right time for Aston Martin to take this first bold step to embark on this special project – made possible with the support of an organisation of Toyota’s stature and capability and the intelligent design and perfect city car package of the iQ.”

“Much work is still required, but I am confident that this project could become reality in the not too distant future. This concept – akin to an exclusive tender to a luxury yacht – will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market.”

“The offering of a ‘Cygnet’ with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites and a novel transport solution allowing intelligent and sensitive mobility on an exclusive and innovative level.”

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Aston Martin: The Innovative Commuter Concept Car; -Cygnet- by Aston Martin

The revival of Lagonda fulfils a long-term vision and will bring performance luxury into new markets and territories around the world for Aston Martin Lagonda. Ultimately, Lagonda will be a strong presence in 100 global territories, vastly increasing the global brand reach of the company and extending to new customers.

Reflecting its remarkable history, the brand will return to Russia, enter emerging markets in the Middle East, South America, India and China, as well as responding to demand from the dynamic, innovation-focused consumers of Europe, North America and the Far East.

“The Lagonda is the luxury car of the future,” says Aston Martin Lagonda Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez, “a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials.”

Lagonda is committed to innovative new propulsion technologies, new materials and elegant forms, creating a functional luxury for the near future. Critically, the brand will allow the exploration of alternative powertrain solutions including flexfuel, low emission diesel and hybrid systems. Lagonda will epitomise the intersection of craft, design and technology with Aston Martin’s established high performance expertise.

The intention is for Lagonda to enter the market place with a unique performance avant-garde luxury product, a vehicle that combines exceptional ability with unsurpassed elegance, inside and out. The LAGONDA CONCEPT is a powerful four-wheel drive, four-seater car that will satisfy the most discerning and demanding owner.

“An Aston Martin is an authentic, pure sports car,” says Dr Ulrich Bez, “but Lagonda is something else, a new brand that will reach into new markets. Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package.

Source / Foto © Aston Martin

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Aston Martin Lagonda: Revival of a Luxury Brand

Broadening the DBS’s character, the DBS Volante will appeal to drivers who wish to combine the excitement of driving a finely-tuned sports car with the invigorating feeling of being open to the elements. This juxtaposition of ultimate performance and openness stirs the senses on any drive whether a exhilarating jaunt on favoured roads or cruising on lengthy journeys. ‘Volante’, meaning: ‘moving with light rapidity’, perfectly defines the performance potential and the dynamic characteristics of the DBS Volante.

Featuring a motorised retractable fabric roof, the DBS’s beautiful profile is preserved whether up or down. When the roof is closed, it provides a warm comfortable ambience and when open, it neatly disappears behind the new tonneau cover at the touch of a button.

Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ulrich Bez said: “The DBS Volante delivers the utmost relaxed driving experience with the hood up or down. It combines engineering excellence with design perfection.

“The DBS Volante offers a subtle mix of power and performance. Adding to this, the fine craftsmanship – it is an unparalleled ownership and driving experience.”

Conceived as a Volante from the outset, Aston Martin engineers opted for a fabric hood to closely follow the silhouette of the DBS coupe and due to its lightweight properties, minimise overall weight gain. Fully retractable in only 14 seconds and at up to speeds of 30 mph (48 km/h), the roof will automatically stow under the newly sculpted tonneau, maintaining the DBS Volante’s perfect form – hood up or down.

Power is provided by Aston Martin’s hand-built all alloy 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque with a top speed of 191 mph (307 km/h) and 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 4.3 seconds. The nature of the V12, and in particular the torque available at all engine speeds, serves to provide effortless driving in all situations.

Aston Martin’s 16th convertible in 95 years, the DBS Volante draws on the marque’s extensive experience in designing iconic ‘Volantes’ and is a 2+2 featuring two occasional rear seats, ideal for young people or extra luggage. In standard specification, the DBS has a rear-mounted six-speed manual gearbox, while an automatic six-speed ‘Touchtronic’ option is also available. As with the coupe, the Volante is offered with carbon ceramic brakes as standard providing exceptional stopping power. Benefitting from materials derived from the motorsport and aerospace industries, the bonnet, front wings and boot lid are made from carbon fibre all helping to reduce weight.

The DBS Volante also comes with Bang & Olufsen’s renowned ‘BeoSound DBS’ in-car entertainment system, featuring 13 speakers as standard equipment. The BeoSound DBS has been expertly tuned by Bang & Olufsen’s Tonmeisters and Aston Martin’s acoustic engineers specifically for the Volante resulting in a system that senses when the roof has been retracted and adjusts the sound stage to compensate for extra wind noise, providing an unrivalled automotive audio experience.

The DBS Volante will be built at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire with customer deliveries expected to commence during quarter three 2009 and prices will be confirmed at the Geneva Auto Salon.

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Aston Martin DBS Volante: Fusing Open Top Motoring With the Ultimate Luxury Sports Car

Over the years there were many Aston Martin cars used in auto racing events. The biggest success for the company in its early years of racing was in 1959 when a DBR1 won the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race and the World Sports Car Championship title.

Although a number of cars were used in racing during the twentieth century it wasn’t until 2004 that Aston Martin truly got back into the field of racing when it partnered with Prodrive to create the DBR9. This is a racing version of the company’s DB9 that featured a 6.0L V12 engine and a flat bottom for aerodynamic purposes. Carbon fibre materials are also used to help with reduce the car’s weight.

In recent years Aston Martin has also returned to endurance racing. This is where cars typically compete with teams of drivers in races that last about twelve to twenty-four hours. In 2007 Aston Martin brought a DBR9 to the Le Mans 24 Hours race and won in the GT1 class. The 009 DBR9, which is a variant of the vehicle with fuel economy in mind, won in the GT1 class in the 2008 Le Mans race.

Aston Martin is the only company in auto racing that has a car in all GT levels. The DBR9 is used in the GT1 class. The GT2 class features the Vantage GT2, the GT3 level has the DBRS9 and the GT4 class has the Vantage GT4. These are all variants of common Aston Martin cars.

The GT is a common term that is mentioned in the realms of racing. GT stands for Gran Turismo or Grand Touring. GT sports car racing has a long history, and its popularity has grown in recent years. Racing car designs are based on standard two-seater and coupe road models and sometimes these models drive on the public roads to get to different race venues.. But, after some significant re-working and the introduction of high performance modifications, the cars are capable of racing over long distances; anywhere between 200 and 3000 miles.

These race series are growing in stature as the category aims to develop into a world championship alongside Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship. As a result, many of the top sports car manufacturers have returned to production-based racing with Works teams. By competing against rival manufacturers head on, Aston Martin demonstrates that the DB9 is not only a world leading sports car on the road, but that the DBR9, DBRS9, Vantage GT2 & Vantage GT4 give as good as they get on the race track.

About the Author

Alex West is a luxury car enthusiast. You can find out more about Aston Martin motor cars and its legacy at Click Here

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The Aston Martin Racing Legacy

Gaydon, Warwickshire, Wednesday 4 February 2009. Aston Martin will present the most potent production sports car in the marque’s 95-year history at the Geneva motor show on 3 March. Based on the hugely successful V8 Vantage, the V12 Vantage will feature a 6.0-litre V12 engine producing 510 bhp (380 kW / 517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque with a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and 0-62 mph (0-100 kp/h) time of 4.2 seconds.

The latest incarnation of the Vantage family has been designed to provide a unique character, appealing to different driver tastes and complementing the other models in the current Aston Martin line-up.

The original V12 Vantage concept was unveiled to guests at the opening of the Aston Martin Design Studio in December 2007. Continuing the marque’s impressive record of bringing concepts through to production, Aston Martin engineers have brought the V12 Vantage to market in an incredible 12 months.

Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “This is the ultimate performance interpretation of the Vantage range, combining our most agile model with our most powerful engine. It represents the definitive driving package; providing spectacular performance to ensure a dynamically thrilling and everyday useable driving experience.

“The V12 Vantage has a unique character, one unlike our other cars. This will appeal to different people with different tastes, allowing more people to enjoy the Aston Martin experience.

“This also illustrates one of Aston Martin’s key strengths – the ability to act quickly and turn concepts and ideas into reality.”

Designed for the focused driver, every component of the V12 Vantage has been honed with pure driving enjoyment in mind. Benefitting from race-developed materials and components, and featuring lightweight carbon fibre; performance and agility have been tuned to perfection.

Visually enticing, the V12 Vantage expresses its performance potential through its purposeful stance created by enhanced aerodynamic and cooling aids optically widening the car, while retaining traditional understated Aston Martin design. Equally inviting, the cosseting interior permits the driver to extract maximum performance ability from the car while also enjoying customary levels of Aston Martin comfort on longer journeys. High levels of power and torque are available at all engine speeds making the V12 Vantage responsive and tractable in any driving situation.

The V12 Vantage will be built at Aston Martin’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire joining the DBS, DB9 and V8 Vantage model lines which are built in the state-of-the-art production facility combining hi-tech manufacturing processes with traditional hand-craftsmanship. Production will be limited up to 1,000 examples over the life span of the car, making the V12 Vantage a truly exclusive driver’s car.

Deliveries of the V12 Vantage are expected to commence during quarter three 2009 with prices to be confirmed at the Geneva motor show.

Source: astonmartin.com

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V12 Vantage: Aston Martin’s most exhilarating sports car