Aston Martin, other brands enjoy marketing windfall in 'Skyfall'
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Skyfall, the latest James Bond action thriller, features cars from Land Rover, Audi, Jaguar, Kia and Volkswagen -- as well as a vintage Aston Martin.
The movie starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007, which generated $87.8 million in its opening weekend in the United States, gives heavy exposure to the featured auto brands.
Bond fans and car buffs might have expected to see the new Aston Martin Vanquish, but instead Skyfall features a classic Bond series favorite: the Aston Martin DB5.
Aston Martins have been in 11 of the 23 Bond films, according to Forbes. With a 282-hp Straight-6 engine, the DB5 can go from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. The car was produced from 1953 to 1966 and cost just over $6,000 when it debuted.
The British TV show "Top Gear" reported that Craig was "effusive" about the return of the DB5.
"I love them," Craig told the show. "This film is about Bond returning to his roots and confronting old demons, so it felt right."
The movie opens with a car chase through a crowded bazaar. But Bond's iconic vehicle isn't in this scene.
Instead, Craig's co-star, Naomi Harris, drives a Land Rover Defender Double Cab pickup while chasing an Audi Q5 -- a 3.0-liter V-6 TDI Quattro, according to an Audi press release.
Some other car highlights in the film:
• Judi Dench is chauffeured around in a Jaguar XF.
• MSN Cars reported last year that the Range Rover Evoque would appear in the movie. While the stars aren't shown in the vehicle, some Evoques are visible in the background.
• Kia vehicles were represented disguised as police cars.
• VW makes a short appearance with some Beetles falling off a train.
The Washington Post said that concern over global carbon emissions and a wave of newer, greener cars in the auto market may result in the next Bond movie featuring a green car.
Some cars the Post opined would fit into a new Bond movie include the Tesla Roadster, the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder, the Citroen DS5 Hybrid and the Scion iQ minicar.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the engine on the Aston Martin DB5. It has a Straight-6 engine.
