It appears that the close relationship between Toyota boss Akio Toyoda and Aston Marin head honcho Dr Ulrich Bez may bear more fruit than a re-skinned Toyota iQ being sold as the Aston Martin Cygnet.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that Aston is keen to gain access to Toyota/Lexus engines as it aims to downsize its fleet to meet tighter EU controls. The move would make sense for Aston Martin in particular is it would allow it to concentrate on building the V12 powerplants it is famous for while also offering smaller units that can offer the power, efficiency and fuel economy demanded by modern consumers.
Word on the street is that the engine Aston Martin engineers are most interested in is the 4.8-litre V10 that powers the limited edition Lexus LFA although how willingly Toyoda-san will hand that hand-built engine over to his racing buddy Dr Bez remains to be seen.
Then again, there's always the IS F's V8...
Paul Healy - 20 Jul 2012