It’s not every day that Aston Martin give the go ahead for production of anything other than a supercar but times change and Aston Martin intend to change with them. To this end, the Aston MartinCygnet, which debuted in March as a concept car, has just been given the green flag to begin production in 2011.

Aston Martin Cygnet is a urban dweller

The Aston Martin Cygnet is being billed as a compact luxury vehicle designed with city-driving in mind. Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez notes that “Our customers need a small car for urban and city use, and they want the right tools for the right job, to downsize creatively without compromising intelligence, artistry and personality.” Aston Martin mention that because of its size, at 3m long, the Cygnet is able to slot into small parking spaces, find gaps in traffic and like most compact cars, maintain impressive fuel efficiency all the while keeping CO2 emissions to a minimum.

Time will tell just how well the Cygnet will be able to compete with other compact cars currently in the market and what exactly Aston Martin mean by “Luxury”, a term not always associated with compact cars. The other obvious issue is the cost of the Cygnet, if Aston Martin add in too many luxuries and the cost climbs, they will have missed the point of a compact car. Aston Martin are not new in the car game, so it is likely they will get it right.

I can’t imagine James Bond will be trading in his DB9 for a Cygnet any time soon but I think it will slot in perfectly into the compact car market.