Aston Martin Cygnet Gets Production Green Light

Aston Martin has announced today that its Cygnet minicar based on the Toyota iQ is no longer a concept and is soon to become reality. That reality will be coming as early as next year in fact when full production of the controversial new model is scheduled to start.

Described as the luxury solution to urban mobility, the Cygnet will be built at Aston Martin’s Gaydon facility in the UK using stripped out Toyota iQs shipped from Japan. And the British automaker has no qualms admitting the Cygnet’s intended purpose.

“Aston Martin is honest and we don’t make compromises,” CEO Ulrich Bez stated. “The Cygnet needs to satisfy the demands of emissions and space.”

The Cygnet will ship with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine but by late 2013 an all-electric version with a 60 mile range is expected to arrive.

The good news (or the bad, whichever way you look at it) is that the Cygnet is expected to be sold in the U.S. by 2012 with a starting price of around $35,000. The catch is that it will only be sold to existing Aston Martin customers looking for a second car for urban commutes.

Honda prepare to launch sub-Fit/Jazz small car in India by early 2010

Honda prepare to launch sub-Fit/Jazz small car in India by early 2010

Tata’s Nano may face stiff competition on its home turf as Japan’s Honda Motor Co. plans to launch a four or five-seat car in early 2010 in the booming Indian market.

Honda Motor Co. President, Mr Takeo Fukui said the Japanese car-maker plans to launch a very small car in Europe as well as emerging countries such as China and India in the early 2010.

“We are developing a small car that would be even smaller than the Fit subcompact,” he told a news conference.

The engine displacement for the four- or five-seat car would be less than 1 litre, against 1.3 litres for the smallest version of the Fit subcompact series, he was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.

Honda expects growing demand for such very small cars in response to gasoline price hikes.

Mr Fukui said the very small car would be difficult to sell in Japan where mini-vehicles with the engine displacement of up to 660 cc have been available for tax incentives.

On General Motors Corp. and two other big U.S. automakers plagued with a serious sales slump, Mr Fukui said Honda has not planned or been requested to help any of them.

Mini E Specs shows lap Time and Max Speed

Clean Circle

Electro Mini E Cooper shows circle time with good specifications and high max speed

How to cope with pernicious habits? There is a lot must be proved - that is what BMW car maker headers think. The bad habit is the drive with petrol, diesel, gas etc. Most people think that car can’t drive without usual noise and exhaust, somebody can’t imagine a car as an ecological self-moving device, but the most worst of all is some drivers don’t take high speed without internal-combustion engines. Such these people the Bavarian car producer is trying to fight with as BMW train them to think so during tenths years.

The Kiddy Mini with index name E (Mini E) as full electro car can accelerate to 187 km per hour on short straight sections of the real race road of the Nurburgring Green Hell. The circle with a little bit more than 20 kilometers length was passed by 9 minutes and 50 seconds.

Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring

Mazda deserves credit for not messing with the genetics of their diminutive roadster. From its inception it’s been true to its original design. While it’s gotten slightly larger over the years—mainly to accommodate safety regulations—it remains the modern-day incarnation of the classic two-seat roadster.

A makeover for 2009 freshened the looks while still leaving it one of the most recognizable cars on the road. However the most questionable part of the facelift is the face. Mazda made the grill bigger and it now looks like one of the talking cars from the Chevron commercials. With a smiley grill and dimpled driving lights, “cute” is the only adjective that can be used to describe its countenance. And it does nothing to dispel the misconception that it’s a “chick car.”

Inside, as you’d expect in a car with a 91.7 inch wheelbase, things are kind of tight. The controls on the well-laid-out instrument panel are all within easy reach. Hell, everything in there is within easy reach. The Grand Touring trim level adds lots of toys like heated seats, cruise control and automatic air conditioning that are nice to have but don’t add anything to the fun factor.

Even though it’s . . . um . . . cozy for someone my size, the seats are quite comfortable (once they’re adjusted to their lowest and rearmost positions). The only real problem: trying to get my size 14EEE feet working the pedals correctly. Once I finally figured the proper two-step to keep my right foot off the gas and brake at the same time I was good to go.

The MX-5 Miata was the first car I’ve driven in a long time that had me grinning every time I drove it (although the grin faded a bit as I extricated myself from it). If you’re looking for an antidote for automotive ennui, look no further. That is, if you have the genes for the job.

Mini Cars More Popular Now

Designing mini cars to be safe and fuel efficient certainly is possible

In commenting on a Green Car Congress article about increasing sales in Japan of mini cars* with a corresponding drop in sales of other cars, NBK-Boston observed that an American company (GM) makes a nice minicar, the Daewoo Matiz but can’t sell it in this country. 

On the other hand, this blog previously relayed, a set of subcompact automobiles currently available or soon to be available in the United States.

Note: Although not everyone uses the same terminology, mini car refers to a small two seater, whereas a super mini is a car with four or more seats.

As GCC previously reported, the Matiz / Spark mini-car is popular in China. Daewoo, a GM subsidiary, sells the Matiz under Chevy, Pontiac and other nameplates in various international markets. This mini car has a 92.1″ wheelbase, 137″ total length, and weighs around 1800 lbs. 

The commenter opined, “It gets great mileage (typically estimated at 45 mpg, averaging city and highway), but is both light and tiny, making it a safety risk.” As two UK automotive reporters recently observed: 

“Traveling at the same speed as lorries, we lost count of the number trying to bully us out of their way. And when you drive something” (that little and looking in the rear view mirror you see) “your entire rear window full of a Dutch, heavy goods vehicle, you suddenly understand the meaning of intimidation.”

On the other hand, if car makers want to sell mini cars in markets, where passenger safety is more highly regulated, then they will design their fuel-efficient offerings in this highly competitive global market with greater crash-worthiness.

Mini car boom in Japan

Over the last few years mini cars are increasingly becoming popular in Japan.  Mini cars or Kei cars are small sized cars with engine upto 650 cc.  Popular mini car makers in Japan are Suzuki, Mitsubishi,  Daihatsu,  Subaru.  mini cars comprised of about 36% of the total cars manufactured in Japan.

So, why Japanese people are going for mini-cars?

There are many reasons.  Japanese people mostly use cars for city drive.  As Japanese families are small,  a small car suits the purpose best.

Mini cars are also easy to maneuver in the narrow roads common in most Japanese cities.  Japanese people prefer traveling by high speed bullet trains than driving in a car for going to distant places, to save time and money.

People who enjoy long drives can rent bigger cars easily anywhere in Japan.

Overall cost of maintenance is another reason to go for a mini car.  Mini cars are considerably cheaper than bigger passenger cars, so the initial investment is low.  They consume much less fuel too.

In Japan, one can not buy a car unless he has a proof of his own/rented parking space; in cities like Tokyo, it costs about Y.40,000 JP yen(US$350) to Y.50,000 JP yen (US$420) per month for renting parking space.

However, this requirement of parking space is not applicable for mini-cars;  the savings in rent for parking space makes mini-cars attractive to Japanese people.

I feel that Japanese mini-cars are well suited for crowded cities in Asia and Africa.

If you feel interested in buying a new or used mini-car,  please feel free to contact me.

Mini Car (SHH-3680)

The base brain model comes standard with convenient features such as 5-speed automated manual transmission with manual or automatic operation mode, remote lock systems, leather steering wheel and consoles, AM/FM radio, CD player, and more. Be sure to checkout our BrainBuggy Coupe and Convertible models that offer more standard features at half the cost of traditional automobiles.

Additional features include ABS Tri-points pre-tie safety belt, Cloth cover seat, No glare inner rearview mirror, Front and rear safety belt , Guard against side bump and protective transom , Height brake lamp central control locking, Front electric window, Defrosting for rear windshield,  Electric rearview mirror,  MP3 player,  AM/FM radiogram,  Mobile seat, and Spare tire.