Citing slow sales and long production times, a new report finds Aston Martin has ended production of the Cygnet, a two-door city car heavily based on the Scion iQ.

The Cygnet was introduced as a concept car in 2010 and launched a year later in order to lower Aston Martni’s fleet-wide emissions and boost its annual sales.  It shares most of its sheetmetal and its 97-horsepower 1.3-liter gas-burning four-cylinder engine with the iQ (sold as a Toyota in Europe) but it offers buyers a luxurious and highly-customizable interior.

Aston Martin has not published precise production figures but the Cygnet was unpopular by most means of measurement and the automaker likely did not sell the 20,000 examples a year it initially planned.  Curiously, the slow sales were largely attributed to how long it took to transform the iQ into a Cygnet.

“I’m not satisfied with Cygnet sales,” explained CEO Ulrich Bez in a September 2011 interview. “We can’t deliver as many as the customers want, as we don’t have enough stock. It is the sort of product a customer sees and decides they want on the spot – they don’t want to have to wait for their car to be built, but to drive it away there and then.”

Although production has reportedly ended, Aston dealers around the world still have a large supply of new Cygnets so it is not too late to purchase one.  The car retails for £31,995 (roughly $51,300) in its home country, considerably more than the £​10,995 (about $17,600) iQ.<![CDATA[
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With more and more states cracking down on talking on cell phones while driving, it’s becoming harder to stay connected while on the go.

There are two remedies to this problem: one is to own a car that has built-in Bluetooth, and the other is to own a Bluetooth device like a headset or speaker that can be used for a hands-free talking and driving experience. Since the introduction of hands-free car kits in 2001, they have come a long way in quality and functionality. The SuperTooth HD Voice is the latest in this evolution, and Leftlane has one to give away to our readers. 

The SuperTooth HD Voice is a Bluetooth hands-free car kit that can be quickly paired to any Bluetooth device. Installation is insanely simple, since it can be clipped directly to a sun visor. Just clip it to the sun visor in the car, pair it with any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone and begin making hands-free calls in any type of vehicle.�

What really makes the HD Voice stand out in the crowd is its ability to verbalize pairing instructions and announce callers in 12 languages. It also features two speakers and two microphones for enhanced sound quality at both ends of the call. When receiving a call, the HD Voice will announce the name of the caller, and it can be answered by saying “OK”. It will also announce the battery level, connection status and GPS instructions in all of the 12 languages offered. 

The SuperTooth HD Voice retails for $89 and can be purchased directly from SuperTooth and a variety of other online retailers. 

To enter, click here, agree to our terms and conditions, and answer one skill-testing question. Mailing list signup is required to be selected; if you have already signed up for a mailing list, please place a check in the box next to the list you have signed up for. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and closes on October 2nd, 2013.<![CDATA[
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Two leaked images scanned out of a Japanese brochure have prematurely revealed Lexus’ LFA-inspired RC F performance coupe.

Although intended to take on vehicles like the BMW M4, Lexus is planning to take the RC F a notch or two above the competition by using knowledge gleaned from the company’s LFA program. For example, the RC F’s hood, roof and trunk lid will all be constructed from carbon fiber in order to keep weight at a minimum. And that hood scoop visible in the leaked images isn’t for engine induction – it’s actually part of an aero package that channels air to the RC F’s underbody to improve high-speed downforce. The RC F will even feature the same type of automatic rear spoiler that was used on the LFA.

The RC F will sit about 15mm lower than its standard RC counterpart, thanks to a specially tuned suspension system. Braking duties will be handled by a Brembo system specifically designed for the RC F.

And those Brembo anchors will be necessary – according to Motor Trend, the RC F will be powered by a 455 horsepower, 401 lb-ft of torque version of Lexus’ 5.0L V8. Previous reports indicated that stricter Euro 6 emissions regulations might be the death knell for the five-liter, but the V8 will employ Toyota’s first-ever application of cylinder deactivation to slip under Europe’s CO2 limits.

Power will be routed via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

All that performance won’t come cheap, though. The RC F will reportedly carry a price tag just north of $100,000, or about $40,000 more than the last M3 Coupe.

The Lexus RC F will make its world debut a the Detroit auto show in January.<![CDATA[
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