Geneva Motor Show: Aston's iQ gets luke-warm welcome

The Aston Martin Cygnet, essentially a rebadged version of the Toyota iQ city car, was revealed in production form at the Geneva motor show this morning, and received a mixed response of uncertain applause from the gathered crowd.

The official line from Aston Martin is that the Cygnet is like a luxury handbag, or a tender for a luxury yacht, and that its affluent customers will buy one as an add-on to their supercar purchase.

The proof will be in the pudding, and Aston is sticking to its policy of only offering the Cynget to customers who buy one of its more familiar sports cars so as not to dilute the brand. But despite styling changes, the proportions and familiar shape do little to disguise the fact that this Aston is still a dangerously expensive Toyota.