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Aston Martin expanding Lagonda Taraf availability outside of Middle East

Aston Martin has been working at reviving the Lagonda marque for several years now. But when it finally did with the Taraf sedan, it was initially prepared to offer it only in the Middle East. That apparently ruffled some feathers with prospective buyers in other parts of the world, which has prompted Aston to expand the super-sedan's availability to additional markets. Moving forward, the Lagona Taraf will now be available in EU-compliant markets, including the UK, Europe and South Africa, and will be offered in both left- and right-hand-drive configurations. Those will still need to be spread out, however, among the strictly limited run of 200 examples, to be built along the same small-batch assembly line responsible for other exclusive offerings like the V12 Zagato, the One-77 and the new Vulcan. The Taraf was launched a few months ago in Dubai, based on Aston's long-serving VH architecture and ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12. With styling inspired by the iconically wedge-shaped Aston Martin Lagonda sedan of the 1970s, it stretches longer than the Rapide for more interior space, and retails for an undisclosed price. Unfortunately, no announcement was made regarding potential availability in North America, so despite the expanded scope of the Taraf's market, it looks like we'll still be left out of the action. Reached for comment, Aston Martin told Autoblog that there's no update yet on US availability, but that the prospect remains unlikely. We'll sure to keep you posted if we hear otherwise, but given the confirmation of European availability, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Taraf on Aston's show stand in Geneva this week. ASTON MARTIN EXPANDS LAGONDA TARAF LUXURY SALOON AVAILABILITY - New Lagonda Taraf will be offered to customers outside the Middle East - Series production remains limited to 200 bespoke limousines - Super saloon will be available in left or right-hand drive 28 February 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin is today announcing that the luxurious new Lagonda super saloon will be made available, in strictly limited numbers, to more customers around the world. Aston Martin will now accept orders for the Lagonda Taraf – the latest in a proud line of saloons revered worldwide as 'the finest of fast cars' – from prospective owners in more major markets.

Aston CEO claims Cygnet cancelled because Toyota is dropping iQ in 2014

While slow sales and a $50,000 price tag may have been contributing factors to the Aston Martin Cygnet being cancelled last month, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez is pointing the finger at Toyota for the demise of this luxurious little city car. In a discussion with Autocar, Bez is quoted as saying that the ultimate reason the Cygnet was cut is because Toyota plans on dropping the iQ (on which the Cygnet is based) in 2014 - a claim denied by the Japanese automaker.
Interestingly, the article also cites another publication reporting that a Toyota importer in the Netherlands heard the same news as Bez, and it has already stopped importing the cars. If the European Toyota iQ is cancelled, that would likely spell the end of the slow-selling Scion iQ in the US, which has sold just 3,365 units through September (a drop of 51 percent year over year).
Regardless of why production of the Cygnet ended, Bez also says that a lack of support from Toyota on the project prevented it from being offered in the US or receiving a supercharged engine, which are two factors that likely would have made the car appealing to more buyers.

Aston Martin's next DB gets its bodywork on

Aston Martin is said to be working on a full revamp of its entire lineup, which is all well and fine, but what we want is proof. And here it is. Spotted testing on and around the Nurburgring is a prototype for Aston's next DB grand touring coupe. The successor to the DB9 is expected to make use of a completely new platform and eventually get a new engine stemming from the British automaker's partnership with Mercedes-AMG, but is likely to employ Aston's own 6.0-liter V12 as well. We've seen spy shots of test mules running before in various states of completion, but this is the first time we're seeing it in what appears to be its production bodywork, albeit still heavily camouflaged to keep it hidden from prying eyes. Expect the final version to draw its stylistic inspiration from the DB10 that James Bond will be driving in the upcoming film Spectre (and maybe just a few from flagship supercars like the One-77 and Vulcan, too). Whether Aston ultimately decides to call this one the DB10 as well, move on to the DB11, or stick with the DB9 remains to be seen, but so far it's looking pretty good.