It appears that a groundbreaking deal has been reached for Aston to build a version of the iQ at its factory in Gaydon, UK. The car will be called the Aston Martin Cygnet and is being billed as the world’s smallest super-luxury saloon.

The Cygnet it seems, will owe it birth to a chance meeting between Aston CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez and Toyota's newly appointed president Akio Toyoda, at a race meeting at the Nurburgring. It is expected to go on sale before the end of next year and will be initially targeted at existing Aston Martin owners, many off whom already own a small city car as well as a DB9 or DBS. Bez says the idea is to “Apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market".

The Cygnet will use standard Toyota iQ mechanical components and proportions, but with different wheels and tyres and a whole new luxury interior. Aston Martin expects to build between 1,000 and 2,000 cars a year, eventually putting them on general sale through Aston Martin Dealers.

The radical departure from the Aston Martin traditional sportscar specialisation, will also have significant benefits for the company's average carbon dioxide emission figures.