The sales of the Aston Martin Cygnet are not as high as hoped. But low demand is not the reason the small Aston Martin car is posting disappointing initial sales numbers. According to Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, the company doesn’t have enough on stock.
The Aston Martin Cygnet is a luxury small city car and derived from the Toyota iQ. Its purpose is to allow Aston Martin to comply with the European Union’s fleet average emissions standards to take place in 2012. Ulrich Bez is not satisfied with the Cygnet sales. According to the Aston Martin boss, the company can’t deliver as many as customers want. He believes the waiting times between placing an order and having the car delivered is putting customers off:
It is the sort of product a customer sees and decides they want on the spot – they don’t want to have to wait for their car to be built, but to drive it away there and then.
Aston Martin will soon open a special Cygnet store on the Park Lane in London. This upmarket road already features five-star hotels and showrooms for several makes of sports car. Ulrich Bez hopes that this new showroom will boost the visibility and results in growing awareness of the Cygnet.
Many people have criticized the Cygnet, claiming the small car would not fit in the profile of the British sports car manufacturer. Bez dismissed this criticism, saying:
I don’t know why people criticize this. It’s a luxury piece, a great car to go around town in. Why would you take a Vantage through London when you could have this?
He also confirmed that the electric Toyota iQ, set to go on sale late in 2012, will be converted into a Cygnet and become Aston’s first electric car. What do you think, is the Cygnet a true Aston Martin? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
