Bond Villains Don't Always Lose

Spectre, the latest installment in the collection of James Bond movies, has already arrived to great fanfare. It's done a wonderful job paying homage to the Bond movies of past, while also bringing the famed secret agent into modern times. Packed with action, adventure, and endless sex appeal (Angell, Lecture), Spectre has something for everyone. Luckily, for the purpose of this blog, that includes hot cars, too.

James Bond has always been seen in the best and newest Aston Martins--except that one time when BMW paid the filmmakers more--and Spectre is no exception. Aston debuted the DB10 to almost as much fanfare as Spectre itself, and it's not hard to see why.

The DB10 is absolutely stunning.

An embodiment of conservative British class and the best example of Aston's brand personality (Babin/Harris 119), Bond's new whip boasts strong lines while still staying true to the brand's (and film's) heritage. It's instantly classic, yet extremely modern. However, the first thing I thought when I first saw the Aston Martin was that it looked a little familiar. 

Does anyone else think that the DB10 took more than a few hints from the Jaguar F-Type? Jaguar, another historic British automaker, released the F-Type two years ago. I personally think it's the best looking car on the road. Car and Driver magazine seems to agree.

I love the way cars are displayed in Bond movies. The cars are almost like characters. Talk about cultural distance (B/H 188): compared to the Transformers series, which I've always viewed as one extended, explosion-filled Chevrolet commercial, the Brits' reserve and class extends seamlessly to their product placement (B/H 63). And fair enough--Shia LaBeouf and a Camaro won't seem like anything but tacky compared to Bond and a DB10.

That being said, I was hoping for a car with a bit more originality in the newest Bond film.

To my good fortune, it seems that Jaguar (and their British brother, Land Rover) wanted revenge on the company that ripped their look. They wanted revenge on the Aston so badly, it seems, that the company proceeded to provide every villain in the movie with their best models to try and destroy it.

The most sinister of their army is the CX-75, the only car wicked enough to drive Spectre's most wicked characters. 

A flaming orange paint job wasn't necessary for the Jaguar to make a statement. The curves, wheels and engine sound to that on its own. The Jag is the schoolyard bully, surrounded by its Range Rover thugs, and the color is it's middle finger thrown into Aston Martin's muted-silver face. This car is overflowing with experiential value (Angell, Lecture). The villains in this car want to be seen, because they know that they'll never get caught.

The Range Rover Sport, Jaguar CX-75, and Land Rover Defender all made appearances throughout Spectre.

Sure, James Bond is the good guy. He's also the good guy whose understated Aston Martin ends up in a river. The villains were my aspirational group (B/H 158) in this film. I think in the battle of cars, Spectre's villains definitely came out on top.

Maybe it's just my tacky American roots that get me excited by the unapologetic brashness of the Jag. What do you think? Is the Jag cool enough to bring you to the dark side, too?

Someone Gave Tesla a Red Bull

I spoke too soon on my last blog post. Mercedes-Benz isn't the only company differentiating their products with wacky moving parts and features.

I give you Exhibit B: The new Tesla Model X. The SUV successor to Tesla's wildly popular Model S, the Model X is a machine unlike any other.

Let's start with the most notable of the Model X's physical anomalies: the doors. Tesla refers to them as "Falcon Wings". It actually took me a while to find a picture of the car with its doors closed, because, well, see for yourself:

Any mom with a luxurious actual or ideal self-concept (Angell, 9/28 lecture) will want one of these. Only the most bad-ass middle-schoolers are stepping out of rear those doors.

This SUV is so feature-packed, that Elon Musk (the company's infamous founder and CEO) even said, "I'm not sure anyone should really make this car. There are far more things there than is needed to sell it". And he's not wrong. There are so many things this car does that no one ever would have thought of. Here's the Sparknotes version:

• Each door, which opens automatically, has ultrasonic sensors to avoid any Kroger parking lot bumps and dings.
• The windshield and the sunroof are the same piece of glass. The sun visors come out of the side beams and connect magnetically to the center.
• There's an internal air filter that gives the car's cabin hospital operating room-levels of cleanliness. So long seasonal allergies, right?
• It's 100% electric, goes 0-60 in under 4 seconds, and can drive over 250 miles on a single charge.
• Did I mention the frickin' Falcon Wing doors?

Of course, all of these features come at a price, and that price is almost as shocking as the car. Starting versions will suck north of $140,000 out of buyers' faux-leather wallets until cheaper models roll out. It will take more than a passion for environmental innovativeness (Babin/Harris 115) to acquire one of these beasts. Luckily, tax incentives will refund up to $25,000 of that back--Enough to by the nanny a Prius! 

The waiting list for this car is already over 30,000 deep. It's clear that the aspirational group (Angell, 10/7 lecture) Tesla has built around its product is strong. For such a high-involvement (Angell, 10/5 lecture) product as a car, Tesla has done a fantastic job triggering the emotions of its future customers: a $5,000 deposit was necessary even before the car was announced. And even those who won't ever step inside the Model X are product enthusiasts--the value Tesla creates just through these ludicrous features and ceremonial announcements provides plenty of value to fans of the brand (Babin/Harris 95).

I can't wait to see the Model X out on the road. Actually, scratch that. I don't need to see it driving at all. Put it in a parking lot and just open the door, that's all I really need to see. 

When was the last time a new car made an enthusiast say that?

Differentiated Design Still Matters

The Frankfurt International Auto Show is taking place in Germany currently, showcasing some of the world's biggest brands and what new offerings and technology they are showing off to their consumers. In a market becoming exceedingly saturated with crossovers and sedans that all end up looking, driving, and performing identically (see: Honda or Toyota Anything), I find it extremely refreshing to see an automaker present something completely original.

This year, Mercedes-Benz introduced the Concept IAA (Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile) to an unusually gawky German audience. Already unique in its appearance, the concept proved itself more and more impressive as its details were revealed.

The most notable feature of the car was its rear end. At high speeds, eight individual plates extend 15 inches around the taillights, lengthening the already long-nosed car into jet plane-like proportions. The car also narrows the gaps in its rims and shuts closed the front grill. All of this helps Mercedes' IAA achieve a drag coefficient--basically, how well the car can slice through the air--of .19, bettering Tesla's current lead by more than 20%.

In a market chock-full of sameness, the IAA stood out like a dragon in a duck pond.

I really appreciate the design risks Mercedes took with this product. It's this kind of bold differentiation that fuels the brand's loyalty, and keeps their image as bright as the star that represents it. The ever-changing auto market comes down the consumers' emotional reactions, and Mercedes is squeezing every drop of hedonic value (Angell, Lecture) into their line that they can. And then they're extending it out another foot and a half, just for good measure.

For more on the Frankfurt Auto Show, check out Ann Arbor-based Car and Driver:
http://www.caranddriver.com/2015-frankfurt-auto-show