Posts Tagged ‘Aston Martin’

It should not surprise you that luxury sports car maker, Aston Martin will be racing in the 24 Hours of LeMans this year.

What may surprise you is that they’ll be barreling down the Mulsanne Straight from behind the wheel of a 4-door car.

That’s right: Aston Martin wants to remind you that racing can be fun for the whole family.  The team is running this classic test of endurance in support of their new Rapide model, which splits the difference between Aston’s exotic DB9 sports car and a high-end luxury sedan.

“The Rapide has the capability to carry four people in comfort but first and foremost it is a sports car and we will subject it to the same tests we would our other sports cars,” explains CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez.

Impressively, Aston plans to run their car as close to showroom form as possible.  The only modifications to the Rapide will be a modestly re-tuned suspension, racing tires, and mandatory safety equipment.

Motorsports is deeply important to sports car brands like Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Ferrari.  Competition add legitimacy and, “subjects the car to the toughest possible assessment under public scrutiny,” according to Bez.

As a four-door, the Rapide is a surprising departure from Aston Martin’s tradition lineup of sports cars and could very easily be dismissed as a gimmick.  But by subjecting the car to 24 hours of grueling abuse, the automaker is demonstrating it’s confidence in the vehicle and proving that the four-door concept deserves its place in the lineup.

Aston Martin formally debuted a new model at the Geneva Auto Show this week.  It’s called the Cygnet and you’re probably expecting a sleek sports car with an unquenchable thirst for fuel and a top speed approaching that of a jet fighter.

The Cygnet might surprise you then because it only has about 97 horsepower.  It’s also based on a fuel-sipping Toyota city car and is nearly as small as the Smart ForTwo.  And it’s expected to cost $45,000-$75,000.

I’ll pause for a moment while you finish laughing.

Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez, explains that the Cygnet was built for Aston Martin owners who desire an environmentally-friendly car for small errands and commutes.  In London, where the buzz is all about carbon footprints and where drivers are taxed by the amount of carbon dioxide their vehicles emit; politically-correct cars like the Cygnet begin to make sense.  Bez described early plans to sell the Cygnet to existing Aston Martin owners only and likened it to, “an exclusive tender for a luxury yacht.”

The reaction from the US motoring press has been overwhelmingly negative so far, with many journalists predicting that the Cygnet will damage the sports cars for gentlemen brand image that Aston Martin has worked so hard to build.

Forget the brand for a moment, though, and take a look at the larger trend the Cygnet represents: small premium cars.

Europeans have enjoyed them for years and American drivers are just starting to experience the concept through vehicles like the Audi A3, Mini Cooper, BMW 1-Series, and Volvo C30.  Globally, more of these cars are on the way.  Lexus recently debuted the CT 200h and Audi took the wraps off the new A1.

What makes the Aston Martin Cygnet so unique is that it’s the very first small premium car to come from an ultra-luxury brand.  But will it also be the last?

Demographic data indicates that the small premium car segment is poised for growth in the US, driven largely by a surge of new car buyers from the Millenial generation (those born from about 1977-2000).

Within the automobile industry, Millenials are known to demand high levels of luxury and tech features no matter a car’s price point.  They also have high expectations for environmental friendliness and don’t accept the notion that only big vehicles are allowed to have the latest technology and nicest styling.

Small premium cars embrace these same values and it’s likely that their popularity will grow as more Millenial buyers come of age and develop their careers.

What remains to be seen is if a small premium car from an ultra-luxury brand can succeed.  The Aston Martin Cygnet seems a poor example because it strays too far from its sports car brethren in looks and performance.

Step behind the wheel of an Audi A3, for instance, and you’ll find that it feels like other Audi products.  Will the Cygnet do the same for Aston Martin?  Probably not.

If nothing else, the Cygnet does raise some very interesting questions for the industry to ponder.  Are small premium cars in the future for ultra-luxury brands?  And if so, what would it take for these cars to deliver on the promises of their brands?

Cars, like clothing or speech or attitude, reveal clues about who we are as people or who we aspire to be.  In watching the 2010 Winter Olympics, we’ve noticed that several Olympians drive nice cars.  Make that REALLY nice cars.

Viktor Plushenko picked up a hot Maserati that he reportedly used to chase after his first wife.

Figure-skating champion, Evan Lysacek just announced that he’s going to buy a James Bond-inspired Aston Martin DBS.

As we reported last week, Shaun White shreds in a white Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 when he’s not on the slopes.

These three athletes all compete in sports that demand power, precision, agility, and a healthy dose of style… so it’s no surprise to us that they’d be attracted to these exotic sports cars.  But that got us wondering:  What other cars are fit for Olympians and which athletes might be driving them?

We’d like to hear what you think – post a picture or a comment of you favorite Olympian and what you think they (should) drive.