Spotted this surfing the web


discuss

 

That looks like Toyota trying to make their IQ look like a MINI.

 

Actually that is an Aston Martin Cygnet believe it or not. A very expensive Toyota IQ clone. Hardly a MINI.

 

As Brit said, it's an Aston, it was created to meet standards of a new regulation. This states that a car manufacturer must meet a CO2 average across thier whole range of production. For some reason people just like to randomly Photoshop MINI emblems onto things.

 

Looks more like a Smart car than a MINI.

P.S. GET THAT STUPID EMBLEM OFF THE HOOD!

OK, I'm better now.

 

It is an Aston and it does need to be burned.

Where are the careless piano removal people when you need them?!?!

 

Aston has been using that winged badge in one form or another longggg before BMW started building MINIs.

I love the thought of a piano landing on that IQ or a SMART...

 

Dang! One could only hope...

 

Hate it all you want. But I think it is a great idea. Not for the $30+k its going to cost but the fact that some car companies are getting on the bandwagon and are starting to build smaller cars. All too long have car companies built large and useless vehicles that have no business in an urban environmet. This is a little over the top looks ugly as sin but, some of the options sound pretty cool and some that I think MINI should embrace and one of them being offer the Hardtop with no rear seats.

 

I don't hate the cloning. It's just interesting many of them look like the MINI, or at least some here think they do.

 

I'd buy it..

 

Aston has been using winged badges since the 20s, but never has it had a massive full circle in the middle like a MINI



And requiring car companies to make small cars because they make big cars is just dumb. It is forcing them to make something opposite of thier market plan. That would be like forcing MINI to make full sized Pick-ups in America because their lineup doesn't meet a minimum requirement for space to store your empty beer cans.

It would less stupid to force someone who owns and drives the big Astons to own a small efficient car, too. After all, there are plenty of small efficient cars out there, we don't need companies going bust because the regulatory commission forced them to market something they couldn't sell.

 

Remember that Aston made Minis for awhile and if I am nott wrong they started the winged Mini emblem. Also who said a requirement to make small cars?

 

I don't hate the Cygnet. Like has been said it is nice to see more small cars going into production.

There are plenty of land yacht truckster wannabes on the market & road. Who needs another? Hey MINI what were you thinking? Crossdresser/Countryman

 

I just seen this on motoringfile.com for the MINI mega city car.
http://www.motoringfile.com/2010/07/...ct/#more-12654

 

Those are fairly old concepts. They look like they use the driver's & passenger's knees as part of the crash structure.

Nice to think that MINI isn't going to supersize all of the MINI vehicles.

 

Porthos, no one here said it, but one of the regulatory bodies in the EU has passed a requirement that all car companies have to maintain an average CO2 emissions level across thier whole range of cars. This was discussed on the newest episode of Top Gear, along with showing of the Cygnet because that is how Aston is attempting to comply with the regulation.

 

Oh ok. You know that here in the US that is some what happening. Cars are having to produce less emissions.

 

... and a place for the gun rack!

The EPA and NTSA have been doing that for years. First I recall was in '68 when new bumper standards went into affect. Everything had these huge-azz butt-ugly chrome monstrosities planted the front and rear. I'm sure they were at it long before that, too. I'll bet at least half of what's engineered into every car you buy is the result of what several government agencies demand of every manufacturer.

The gen 2 MINI's themselves were also the victim of European pedestrian safety regs, which is why they're longer and taller than the gen 1's. Supposedly they needed bigger crumple zones in case of impact with a pedestrian, which I think is just silly because how badly could a MINI actually hurt someone anyway. Ironic, isn't it, that BMW revived the MINI brand to help themselves meet CAFE mileage requirements, and then overly-safety-conscious liberal bureaucrats turn around and tell 'em to make it bigger.

But yeah, unfortunately that's the way it goes, stupid as it is ...

 

Aston never made Mini's. Austin made Mini's. Aston Martin has been around since the the early 1900's largly independant except for a recent stint owned by Ford.

Austin was part of BMC which included Leyland (who also made the Mini) Riley (who built the Mini varient Elf,) Wosley and MG (who did not.) Later BMC merged with Jaguar (which also didn't build the Mini.) Along the way Rover was also folded into the works and it also produced the Mini at the end of the "classic" run.

BMC has a very convoluted family tree (includeding a couple of nationalizations by the British government) but at no time did it include Aston Martin.

Sorry for the quick history lesson Just had to get to you before the militant wing of the classic owners drag you out behind the wood shed.

 

BMC became British Leyland in 1968 I believe. For me that was the beginning of the end of the British motor empire. all downhill from there.

If you do a search on YouTube there are a couple of very videos covering that time & the demise of a once proud industry.

 

Ooops!!! You know its so close easily confused.