CAR TALK
ASTON’S NEW CITY CAR
Aston Martin’s “premium, bespoke commuter car” and its most controversial car ever, the Cygnet luxury city car, is to go into production in 2011 at the company’s Gaydon headquarters. Targeted at Aston owners who only drive their sports cars at the weekend, Aston Martin hopes it will keep Aston owners driving their cars all week.
MAZDA SHAPES UP WITH EFFICIENCY FLANKS
This is Mazda’s new Mazda5, a car that has won a host of awards for reliability and safety in the past. The compact MPV has all-new wave form ridges on its flanks and is part of the firm’s latest flow design language. The flanks do more than just distinguishing the car: they reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency too. Certainly one of Mazda’s best cars to date.
SAY HELLO TO VW’S NEW SUPERSTAR
This is VW’s new-look Phaeton. The car comes with four-wheel drive, laminated glass, adjustable air suspension and one of the most advanced air conditioning systems in the world, all as standard. The new Phaeton also has Google maps software built-in, the first time in a production car. Prices start at £46,195 for the 3.0-litre V6 TDI 240 PS engine.