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James Bond still drives an Aston Martin. But now he drinks Heineken too.

The Aston Martin DB5 returns in Skyfall (image ©Eon) - but Heineken replaces a Martini James Bond may drive an Aston Martin, but he’s going a bit more downmarket in Skyfall after a £25 million deal to place Heineken. Product placement is a great way for brands to raise their profile by association with a successful film, TV show or celeb. And much of what now gets placed on screen to push our buttons can probably be blamed on the James Bond franchise.

Avis buys Zipcar and grows car-sharing capabilities internationally

Zipcar, a car-sharing company that specializes in renting cars by the hour or day, announced Wednesday it will be acquired by Avis Budget for $491 million, or $12.25 a share. The action will help Avis compete against Hertz Global Holdings, which became the world's second largest car-rental company in 2012 following its purchase of Dollar Thrifty car-rental company for $2.6 billion, according to a Bloomberg report. “By combining with Zipcar, we will significantly increase our growth potential -- both in the U.S.

Used car sales return to pre-recession levels

As the UK’s buoyant new car sales figures continue to buck the European trend, it was only a matter of time before this had a positive knock-on effect on sales of used cars. Now, according to figures released in the latest BCA Used Car Market Report, used car sales hit 7.1 million last year, outpacing new car sales by 6.4% and, even more crucially, returning to pre-recession levels. Best used car buys for 2013 On Bing: see pictures of used cars In fact, a record £38.1 billion worth of used cars were sold in 2012, £5.8 billion more than was spent on new cars.