Aston Martin Cygnet priced from £30,995

When the 2011 Aston Martin Cygnet launches in April 2011, it will come in two colors - Cygnet Launch Edition White and Cygnet Launch Edition Black. The Cygnet Launch Edition White comes in Snow White paint with gobs of chrome trim both inside and out and if you prefer the darker side of the new compact Aston, Cygnet Launch Edition Black comes with flat black interior trim (including stripes) and the blacked-out theme is continued inside of the commemorative models. Interestingly, while today’s press release from Aston Martin talks quite a bit about the special edition models and the color choices available, they make no mention of the “nuts and bolts” of the new car.

The 2011 Aston Martin Cygnet will be built with AM quality components at the company’s Gaydon, England manufacturing plant right alongside the rest of the current Aston Martin lineup. However, the Cygnet begins life intended to be a Toyota iQ subcompact and while the Cygnet receives obvious Aston exterior styling and luxurious interior appointments, the car still derives its 98 horsepower from the standard 1.3L Toyota 4-cylinder engine along with sharing the rest of its mechanical workings with the budget-minded Toyota.

$50,000 for a Toyota iQ with an Aston Martin body kit and high end luxury interior is a hard bite to swallow but Aston believes that this new subcompact will offer current AM owners a chance to enjoy Aston quality in a fuel friendly city car while also attracting new buyers who want to enjoy Aston Martin comfort and luxury without the price of their lineup of supercars. Upon its launch later this year, the Aston Martin Cygnet will be available only in the UK but depending on the success of the early models, the British automaker plans to begin offering the car in other world markets.

Check out the gallery below for a closer look at the 2011 Aston Martin Cygnet.

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