Imagine Motorhead releasing an album of choral music. Got it? Right. Now imagine an Aston Martin for £20,000 that’s actually based on the Toyota iQ city car.
It’s not a joke. As you can see from the photo Aston Martin is already building a concept. It’s an iQ with an Aston grille and a pair of Aston-esque bonnet air vents.
The idea, says Aston, is that punters who already have a proper Aston Martin sports car will buy a Cygnet as a city car.
It’s a bold idea, but surely you risk diluting the brand? I mean, do you want to buy a £150,000 Aston Martin DBS knowing only you and James Bond drive Astons then find that everyone in town’s got one?
Aston needs to make fewer cars, not more. When Ford owned the firm quality improved but so did the numbers. Now every car in Chelsea is an Aston.
The Hammond solution would be to make fewer cars and incorporate a high level of new tech such as hybrid power trains or even electric power.