2001 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage Volante Convertible on 2040-cars

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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 DB11 Volante loses its roof and four cylinders

Aston Martin hasn't exactly hid the fact that it had a convertible version of the DB11 in the works. In fact it plastered the official release date on the sides of the prototypes. And now, roughly half a year before the Spring 2018 release date, the company has shown the car and provided all the specs. Right off the bat, it's clear the DB11 Volante hasn't lost any of its beauty in the chop job. Overall, it looks just as scintillatingly curvy as the coupe, and it manages to avoid looking too heavy and thick, regardless of whether the top is up or down. The top itself is rather pretty, with a taut shape and thin pillars helping maintain the DB11's lithe look. It can also be had in red, black-silver, or gray-silver, and is made up of eight layers for sound reduction. Losing the top also provides a great look at the optional seat back veneers, available in carbon fiber or, as in the photos above, in wood. In addition to looking attractive, the DB11 Volante has a number of performance advantages over its DB9 predecessor. According to Aston, it weighs 57 pounds less than the DB9, and it's 5 percent stiffer. Its top also takes up less trunk space. Unfortunately, the DB11 Volante's 4,134 pound curb weight is significantly more than the DB11 V8 coupe, which weighs around 3,800 pounds. It also roughly matches the V12 DB11 coupe. The comparison to the V8 model is important because the DB11 Volante will only offer the V8 engine. It's the same AMG-based unit from the coupe, displacing 4.0-liters and breathing through a pair of turbochargers. It's also coupled to 8-speed automatic and features a torque-vectoring limited slip differential. Despite the added heft over the coupe, the 503-horsepower engine still gets the DB11 Volante to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds, which is only a tenth behind the V8 coupe. It also will reach a top speed of 187 mph. The DB11 Volante will start at $216,495. That's $17,500 more than the V8 coupe, and the same price as the V12 coupe. Aston Martin is currently taking orders for the DB11 Volante. The first examples will be delivered in spring of 2018. Related Video:

Aston Martin Lagonda super sedan officially teased

Ask anyone who's anyone about Aston Martin and they'll tell you about exclusive and highly desirable two-door luxury GTs – the kind James Bond would drive – but it would be all too easy to forget about the other side of the equation. The company's full name is, after all, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., but while the latter name is seldom used, it's about to make a rare comeback. The British automaker has just confirmed "strictly limited series production" of a new Lagonda saloon, previewed by the two teaser images you see here. The super sedan will be built in the same facility that previously produced the One-77 supercar at the Aston Martin factory in Gaydon and will be available in strictly limited quantities by invitation to select customers exclusively in the Middle East. Aston Martin has revealed precious few technical details of the new project, but the design clearly pays tribute to the iconically wedge-shaped 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda sedan designed by William Towns, with elements from the recent Zagato-designed Centennial editions evident as well. It will be based on Aston's ubiquitous VH platform that underpins just about everything it currently makes, and given the proliferation of the company's long-serving 6.0-liter V12 engine, we figure it's safe to say that'll provide the motivation as well, with at least the same 565-horsepower output as the Vanquish and the new V12 Vantage S Roadster, if not more. The announcement, of course, hardly comes as a surprise. Just a few months ago we spotted a disguised prototype for this very vehicle undergoing testing, and Aston has been toying with the idea of a Lagonda revival since the debut of the rather controversial Lagonda crossover concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show to mixed reviews. There was since talk of partnering with Mercedes-Benz to revive the Lagonda line along with Maybach, but that ultimately fell through – although the two are still collaborating in other areas, including the provision of a new line of engines and other technologies. Lagonda was originally founded independently in 1906, was acquired by legendary Aston chief David Brown in 1947 and has popped on and off the radar screen ever since. It remains unclear whether the new sedan will revive the Lagonda handle as a nameplate or as a separate brand, but you can delve into the press release below to read what Aston has confirmed thus far.