James Bond’s Antics Would Cost Q Over $2.3M in Insurance

James Bond’s Antics Would Cost Q Over $2.3M in Insurance
Maserati Levante Hits the Track in Latest Spy Photos
Lexus Teases New Headlight Design Set to Debut Next Week
Top 10 Most Reliable and Least Reliable Car Brands of 2015
2015 LA Auto Show Now Hosting 50 Vehicle Debuts
Fully Electric Aston Martin RapidE Concept Revealed

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Just how much would insurance cost for James Bond?

An insurance company recently did an analysis, speculating what James Bond's recklessness would cost Q to insure. For starters, the upcoming Spectre film will feature the Aston Martin DB10 with an estimated value of $928,000, meaning it would cost around $30,900 to insure. But then there are all the cars that Bond will more than likely destroy in the movie, including the Jaguar C-X75, Land Rover Defender and Range Rover Sport SVR. Those three vehicles combined have an estimated payout of $1.34 million, bringing Bond's probable insurance costs for Spectre to around $2.3 million.

Even more entertaining is looking back at Bond's antics to see what that would have cost for Q with the Aston Martin DB5 getting blown up in Skyfall and costing an insurance payout of $850,000. Much less is the BMW Z8 from The World is Not Enough, as that would have only ran $216,400 after getting cut in half by a helicopter. Lastly, there's the Lotus Esprit S3 Turbo from For Your Eyes Only with an insurance payout of $139,100 after getting blown up by an anti-theft self destruct system.

[Source: Kwik Fit Insurance]

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Maserati Levante Hits the Track in Latest Spy Photos

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The Maserati Levante has begun testing on the Nurburgring.

The Italian automaker's luxury SUV is one of many that will be joining the fray in the coming years, kicked off by the new Jaguar F-Pace and even the Bentley Bentayga, although that's in a segment of its own currently. Compared to the last time spy photographers spotted the Maserati Levante, the prototype has shed some of its heavy camouflage and we get our first glimpse at the front end design and headlights. The photographers also spotted the Maserati Levante SUV testing on the streets of Italy, sporting a lot more camouflage than the Nurburgring prototype.

The Levante SUV will ride on a modified version of the chassis currently underpinning the Ghibli and Quattroporte models and will also borrow powertrain from the sedans including the 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 and 3.8-liter V8 engines. A possibility after the initial launch of the model is a high-performance GTS variant and a diesel in overseas markets.

Currently the Maserati Levante is expected to make its official debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show next March ahead of production starting in Turin, Italy before the end of 2016.

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Lexus Teases New Headlight Design Set to Debut Next Week

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Lexus will unveil its vision of "progressive luxury" at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.

The Japanese luxury automaker has teased a new headlight design that will debut on a new concept car when the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show kicks off in less than a week. The event will also host the Japanese debut of the all-new RX crossover, the high-performance GS F sedan and the updated GS.

The concept car is expected to preview the next-generation LS flagship, but don't be surprised if it shows up in coupe form, as Lexus is rumored to be working on a halo sports car to sit alongside its flagship sedan.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Tokyo Motor Show Preview

As for the headlight teaser, it looks to be an evolution of the design Lexus has been incorporating in its recent models, going for a sleeker appearance rather than the bulkier headlights found in previous models.

Previously, the automaker confirmed that the next-generation Lexus LS wouldn't debut at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, but the company could just be acting clever by disguising it in the form of a concept. Check back with AutoGuide.com starting October 28 when the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show kicks off for live coverage from the event.

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Top 10 Most Reliable and Least Reliable Car Brands of 2015

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Consumer Reports has unveiled the results from its annual Reliability Survey, which helps determine which vehicle brands have the most problems with cars fresh off the assembly line.

This year, many car owners are complaining about infotainment systems and a few transmissions that are causing problems. The publication ranks brands with an overall score out of 100, which is determined by how many cars an automaker has in its lineup, their average predicted reliability score, and their reliability score from the past three years. Jaguar, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Scion, Smart, and Tesla were excluded from the survey for a lack of data.

Here is the list of Top 10 most reliable car brands (followed by the least reliable brands after):

1) Lexus

Lexus continues to lead the way in reliability, earning an average score of 64 percent with seven models in its lineup. The company's ranking on the Annual Auto Reliability survey remains unchanged compared to last year.

2) Toyota

With a dozen cars in its lineup, Toyota stayed steady as well at second place with an average score of 56 percent.

3) Audi

The top German automaker when it comes to reliability, Audi rose two spots to third place with eight models in its lineup and an average score of 41 percent.

ALSO SEE: Consumer Reports Yanks Recommendation for Tesla Model S

4) Mazda

The third of four Japanese brands in the top five this year, Mazda dropped one spot to fourth place with an average score of 35 percent across four models.

5) Subaru

Subaru rose two spots to fifth place with seven models in its lineup and an average score of 28 percent.

6) Kia

Korean automaker Kia saw one of the biggest jumps, climbing from 10th place to 6th place. The company has six models and received an average score of 27 percent.

7) Buick

Buick technically tied Kia with a score of 27 percent with five models in the American automaker's lineup. Compared to last year, Buick dropped one spot, although that could be argued since Kia had the same reliability score albeit with one more model in its lineup.

8) Honda

Thanks to infotainment glitches in its redesigned and freshened vehicles, Honda saw a surprising drop of four spots down to eighth place. The company had four models ranked with an average score of 13 percent.

9) Hyundai

Hyundai is also on the rise, jumping four spots to ninth place this year with an average score of six percent across 10 models.

10) MINI

British automaker MINI didn't make any moves this year, sticking to its 10th place with an average score of one percent for two models.

Here are the 10 least reliable brands:

10) GMC

GMC didn't move compared to last year's survey, sticking to the 19th spot with a score of -46 percent across eight models.

9) Chevrolet

Chevrolet saw a slight improvement, going up one spot to 20th place. Still, the American automaker has an average score of -48 percent on 11 models.

8) Mercedes-Benz

The lowest of the three major luxury German automakers, Mercedes-Benz did climb three spots to 21th place but still has an average score of -49 percent with six models.

7) Chrysler

Chrysler also didn't change for the year, staying at 22nd place with an average score of -49 percent across three models.

6) Dodge

Sister brand Dodge saw an improvement of two places, rising to 23rd place. It's not all good news for the American automaker however, since it has an average score of -52 percent across six models.

5) Infiniti

Unlike Nissan that saw an improvement, luxury arm Infiniti fell four spots to 24th place with an average score of -55 across three models.

4) Cadillac

Like Acura, Cadillac fell seven spots to 25th place with an average score of -91 percent on five models.

3) Ram

Sitting at the bottom of the list are three brands that have built a reputation on poor reliability. Ram remained in 26th place with an average score of -95 percent with two models.

2) Jeep

Jeep came second to last with an average score of -97 percent across four models.

1) Fiat

Lastly, Fiat continues to struggle in reliability rankings, sticking to 28th place with an average score of -177 percent – significantly worse than Jeep.

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2015 LA Auto Show Now Hosting 50 Vehicle Debuts

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The 2015 L.A. Auto Show will be home to at least 50 vehicle debuts.

Taking place in November, the 2015 L.A. Auto Show will host the global premieres of the redesigned Buick LaCrosse, Range Rover Evoque Convertible and the new 2016 Nissan Sentra, to name a few. Mitsubishi will also have a presence unveiling the 2016 Outlander Sport with the Japanese automaker's new Dynamic Shield design language as well as the newly designed 2017 Mirage compact. Those hungry for performance will want to stop by the Porsche booth, where the Cayman GT4 Clubsport racer will bow. Scion will also introduce a concept car, previewing the company's design direction for a new model.

Other confirmed North American debuts include the Infiniti QX30 crossover, Hyundai Elantra, next-generation Kia Sportage and the Jaguar F-Pace. Numerous automakers are keeping quiet on their debuts until the show, but expect Ford, Fiat, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volvo and Volkswagen to all have tricks up their sleeves.

Check back with AutoGuide.com November 17-19 as we'll be reporting live from the 2015 L.A. Auto Show's press days.

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Fully Electric Aston Martin RapidE Concept Revealed

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A fully electric Aston Martin RapidE Concept has been revealed, although no specs on the four-door luxury car have been announced yet.

Unveiled in London at the venue that will serve as the setting where Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, will meet the President of China, Xi Jinping, the RapidE is a study in how the British carmaker and Chinese investors can make the concept into reality. If successful, a production RapidE could make it to the market in about two years.

"We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase of study for the project development," Aston Martin CEO, Andy Palmer, said. "The exciting RapidE concept tangibly demonstrates the capability and ambition of Aston Martin towards developing low- and zero-emission sports cars."

ALSO SEE: Aston Martin Wants to Build a 1,000-HP Electric Car

It has been reported that Palmer is aiming for the RapidE to have between 800 and 1,000 horsepower. Speaking to AutoCar, Palmer said the Rapide will likely come in two versions: a RWD model with about 550 hp and a 200 mile range, and the 800 to 1,000-hp model with all-wheel drive.

The partnership with China is significant because there is a huge appetite for luxury cars there, especially electric or hybrid models because of the massive pollution problem.

"We are aiming to sell around 100 RapidEs a year in China and are pretty sure there will be a demand for cars in those numbers," Palmer said.

The RapidE is estimated to cost about £200,000 or US$402,000.

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Car Reviews

Wednesday, 21 October 2015