The Cygnet is Aston Martin’s city car, a nod towards practicality and confirmation that a DB9S isn’t always the best choice for commuting into a crowded and traffic-choked city like London. A repurposed Toyota / Scion iQ, the Cygnet commands a premium price and isn’t even offered for sale to the unwashed masses. Instead, to qualify for Cygnet ownership, you must already own one of Aston’s more significant vehicles.

Even if you’re a member of that exclusive club, ownership doesn’t come cheap. A Scion iQ starts at just over $15,000 in the United States, while the Aston Martin equivalent is priced from roughly $48,000 in the United Kingdom. While the most financially astute among you would point out that this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, since car prices vary widely in the two countries, I’d say that an apples-to-Walkers-shortbread comparison is the best we can do at the moment.

So what does an additional $33,000 buy you? As the video below illustrates, lots of hand-crafted care and premium quality materials that a built-by-robots Japanese econobox can never hope to match. Whether or not the cost difference is worth it depends on your perspective and your bank account; if you already own an Aston Martin, chances are good that you won’t be happy driving a tinny car with a plastic interior.

There are rumors that the Cygnet may make it to this side of the pond, and that prices could start as low as $35,000. We’re not sure that Aston Martin could turn much of a profit at that price, but if they open up sales to us 99-percenters, the volume may make up for it. What’s your take? Would you have any interest in a $35,000 Aston Martin Cygnet?

If you ask us, a good CEO should have more than a passing knowledge of his company’s products, and should be able to demonstrate them competently. In the early 1990’s, a television series called “TV Nation” put this to the test, and challenged CEOs of major corporations to demonstrate their products on live TV. The only one who agreed was Ford’s CEO, Alex Trotman, who changed the oil in a Ford Explorer on camera.

Trotman’s willingness to get his hands dirty spoke volumes about his work ethic, and I’ve admired Ford ever since. After watching the video below, I feel the same way about Toyota and Aston Martin. As the script says, instead of playing golf, Akio Toyoda and Dr. Ulrich Bez go racing, and both men are accomplished drivers who are passionate about motorsports.

That message comes through on Aston Martin’s cars, but it’s lost in translation on the current crop of Toyotas. Let’s hope that changes when the FT-86 (or Scion FR-S) finally makes it to market; besides, we know that Toyoda-san himself wants to see enthusiast-targeted cars in Toyota’s product line.

In the mean time, enjoy the video, found on Autoblog, below.

Leading up to the official release date of Forza Motorsport 4 (October 11, 2011), the latest Xbox game to compete with Sony’s Polyphony Gran Turismo, a new dramatic trailer filled with true automotive enthusiast passion is released into the wild. In the new trailer, Jeremy Clarkson, host of Top Gear – as if you didn’t know, narrates what is probably one of the best car video game trailers ever called “Endangered Species”. Sure, as Clarkson puts it, it is all about safety and mpg’s but in the confines of your living room you have a safe haven where we can push the laws of physics without negative consequences. Enjoy the video below!

Friday we posted details about the new Aston Martin V12 Zagato making its debut at the 2011 Villa d’Este Concorso and now we are happy to post exclusive video footage of this sexy beast arousing the crowd with its finely tuned instrument. The video capture comes straight from the 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza of Villa d’Este via Marchettino’s YouTube channel.

[source: YouTube]

I am sure you would agree with me in thinking that Aston Martins are some of the sexiest cars on the road today. Sometimes sexy isn’t ways capable on the race track but when it comes to the newest Aston Martin Zagato Endurance Racer concept, it is all about racetrack-bred performance.

If the 6.0-liter 510 horsepower V12 engine doesn’t give the performance capabilities away, possibly the aggressive look, massive slotted brake discs and carbon fiber splitter will.

The new Aston Martin Zagato is composed of a hand-made aluminum body that takes up to a year to complete the design work. The primary reason for the development and design of the Zagato V12 is for endurance racing. The first test will be at the Nurburgring race on May 28^th and enter the two Zagato’s in the 24 hours of Nurburgring in June.

The V12 Zagato will make its public debut at the Villa d’Este Concours in Italy Saturday, May 21^st.

[souce: Aston Martin]

All eyes were on the new Royal couple as they completed their nuptials and celebrated a new union in front of the world today. Surprisingly it seems Prince William may be sort of a car buff in choosing to ride out with his Princess in his father’s blue convertible Aston Martin DB6 Volante MK II. The vintage Aston Martin DB6 was retrofitted to run off of E85 bioethanol made up from waste produced in the making of English wine. Go figure, Royalty with a sense of being stylish and eco-friendly at the same time.

Hit up TheSun for additional hi-resolution images.

Let’s keep this simple: if you want to look at gorgeous, semi-naked women or read insightful reporting, go to Playboy.  If you want accurate information on cars and trucks, come to Automotive Addicts.  We don’t do the whole pictures of naked women thing (although we have been known to look at them admiringly), because it’s just not what we do best.  Likewise, when Playboy publishes a list of the “Hottest Rides” of the year, you need to read it with some skepticism.

Here are Playboy’s picks for the hottest cars of 2011, along with our feedback.  Some we agree with, others we don’t, but then again we don’t get big fat advertising checks from automakers.  Read on to find out what made the list.

Playboy’s 2011 Car Of The Year: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Not much to argue with here, and I’m glad to see a publication pick a car other than the Chevy Volt or the Nissan Leaf as car of the year.  I’m not a huge fan of the SLS AMG’s styling, since only the front 55% of the car looks good; the rear looks like the stylists just gave up.  Performance wise, the SLS AMG is the real deal, and its 6.2 liter V8 will run with the big dogs.  Zero to sixty comes up in about 3.7 seconds, and the gullwing coupe tops out at 197 miles per hour.  If you’ve got the coin, the SLS AMG will get you noticed.

Best Hybrid: The Honda CR-Z

This category really should have been titled the “Least Worst Hybrid”, since enthusiast driving and hybrids go together like Ellen Degeneres and Tiger Woods. Yes, the Honda CR-Z is hands-down the best hybrid (if you opt for the six speed manual transmission), much the same way as waterboarding is much better than having your fingernails pulled off with pliers. If I had an option for “C, none of the above”, I’d pick that.

Best Sport Sedan: Aston Martin Rapide

If the category was “sport sedan most likely to get you heels-to-Jesus”, I’d agree. I don’t know too many who can shell out the Rapide’s $200,000 price of admission, and I can’t help but thinking that kind of money would buy three Cadillac CTS-V sedans, or two Hennessey tuned CTS-V sedans. Give me the Caddy, in White Diamond Tricoat with Dark Graphite wheels, and I’ll use the $130,000 I save to pay for gas, tires and speeding tickets.

Best Sports Coupe: Cadillac CTS-V

Don’t get me wrong: I love the looks of the CTS-V coupe, but I can’t live with the concessions it asks you to make. The rear seat, for example, is for midget acrobats only. Full size humans with normal muscles and joints simply don’t fit back there, and the coupe’s added width actually makes it slower than the sedan (courtesy of parasitic drag, if you want some science). My pick? The 2011 Shelby GT500 Mustang. It’s the automotive equivalent of rough sex with a six foot tall Scandinavian blond; it doesn’t work well if you treat it nice, but throw it down, stomp it hard and it just comes back for more. Like the blond, it’ll either kill you or make you stronger, and you won’t care much either way.

Best Convertible: Porsche Boxster Spyder

Maybe I’m not a big fan of the whole “less is more” thing, which is why I have a hard time grasping the logic of paying more for a Porsche Boxster with a Pontiac Solstice folding roof. Yes, it’s fast, but it’s also impractical for the real world; I’ll pass, and opt for the STaSIS-tuned Audi R8 V10 convertible. It’s wretched excess in every way, and it comes with a real top.

Best Bang For The Buck: Mazda 2

This is a tough category, since so many automakers are making good, inexpensive cars these days. The Ford Fiesta is roughly the same as the Mazda 2, and both need a serious infusion of horsepower to be appealing to enthusiasts. The Chevy Cruze has potential, if and when Chevy builds a Cruze SS version. Until they do, sign me up for the Hyundai Sonata Turbo as the best bang for the buck. Where else can you get 274 horsepower for a sticker price in the mid-twenties?

Best SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee

This is another tough call, because the best depends on your expectations. If you use you $40,000 SUV for serious off-roading and plan on tackling the Rubicon Trail just as soon as you have two weeks of vacation saved up, then your best choice is Playboy’s pick. If you live in the real world and spend 90% of your time on-road, with occasional trips to the beach and up to your uncle’s mountain cabin, my pick would be the new Ford Explorer. It’s still capable of going off-road (except for the whole rock-crawling thing), and it’s much better on road. For the vast majority of SUV buyers, it’s simply a better option.

Best Commuter: Nissan Leaf

I’ve never had a job where the Nissan Leaf would have been a sensible choice for commuting. Most of my drives have been 50 miles or so round trip, which may or may not exceed the Leaf’s range, depending on traffic, road conditions, weather and electromagnetic disturbances in the upper atmosphere. I don’t want to spend the last ten miles of my commute wondering if I’ll make it home, so a pure electric car makes no sense to me. Give me a Chevy Volt, and I’ll go as far as I can on batteries every day. When the batteries run down, the generator fires up to ensure I’ll get the rest of the way home. The Volt is comfortable, it’s relatively entertaining to drive and (above all) it’s practical. I can’t say the same for the Nissan Leaf.

Best Plug-In: Chevrolet Volt

I already picked the Volt for “Best Commuter”, so I can’t pick it twice. Instead, I’ll select the Tesla Roadster 2.0 for “Best Plug In”, because it’s currently the only electric car worth drooling over. I still don’t think it’s worth the price, and it’s still too heavy to be a real sports car, but it is a step in the right direction. For now, that’s as good as a plug in car gets.

Most Likely To Succeed: Hyundai Equus

I couldn’t agree more with Playboy’s pick in this category. I’ve driven the Equus, and it’s good, very good. Once you get past the Hyundai name, the Equus will make you wonder why spending $10k to $30k more for the equivalent Lexus, BMW or Mercedes was even a consideration. Hyundai knows what’s riding on this, and they’re going to make every effort to do things right the first time. World class luxury for the price of a well-equipped Lincoln? Sign me up.

[source: Playboy]

For those who feel that the current Aston Martin Rapide just is not luxurious enough for them, there is an alternative that may suite their needs called the Rapide Luxe Special Edition. Aston Martin has revealed a new version of their sexy sedan, the Rapide, adding on more luxurious appointments to please the most peculiar buyer.

The Rapide Luxe features new exclusive body colors, newly bright finished grill, 20-inch alloy wheels and a cabin laced with elegant tweaks that you would only expect in some of the most expensive luxury vehicles around. Some of these interior items include heated and cooled custom leather upholstery, Walnut wood trim, an exclusive rear entertainment system feed through a 1000 watt Bang & Olufsen audio system and a six-piece luggage set to match the seats.

The Rapide Luxe is powered by the same 6.0-liter V12 engine with 470 horsepower and 443 foot-pounds of torque as found in the regular Rapide model. Power is directed through a 6-speed Touchtronic 2 transmission allowing an acceleration time to 60mph from a standstill in 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 188mph.

Pricing for the Rapide Luxe Special Edition has not been announced yet.

[source: Aston Martin via Autoblog.nl]