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Aston Martin Cygnet planned for 2011 production

Aston Martin said on Monday that the Cygnet--a reworked version of the Toyota iQ city car--will go into production in 2011. The Cygnet, which was shown as a concept car at the Geneva motor show in March, is just less than 10 feet long. "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," said Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez.

Mini may drop Paceman, Coupe, and Roadster

Mini may discontinue the Paceman, Coupe, and Roadster models as it seeks to trim its lineup, following the introduction of the third-generation Mini Cooper three-door Hardtop. Instead, the company plans to focus on three "pillar" models: the Hardtop, the Countryman, and the Clubman. The third model, the Clubman, is technically still speculative as the company presented a Clubman only in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show last week, but given the amount of real-world testing of Clubman prototypes observed, coupled with the production-ready appearance of the Clubman Concept, this model is virtually assured to reach production in its current form.

Euro NCAP crash tests: hybrids score full marks

By Tim Swietochowski Motor Industry 26 August 2009 14:49 The Toyota Prius 3 and Honda Insight are among seven new cars to achieve five-star safety ratings in the latest Euro NCAP crash tests out today. Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP’s secretary general said: ‘The technology andknow-how is out there for car makers to deliver vehicles with better pedestrianprotection. Honda and Toyota are giving us a glimpse of the cars of the future thatconsider the natural and social environment in its entirety.’ A Toyota official said hybrids posed new problems for its engineers.