Olga Kurylenko drives a Ford Ka in Quantum of Solice

With product placement, it doesn’t get much better than showing off your wares in a Bond movie. So Ford is laughing, with the Ka being a Bond girl’s choice in Quantum of Solace.

Camille (played by Olga Kurylenko), 007’s feisty sidekick, drives a gold Ka, which goes on sale in January.

Fiona Pargeter, the manager of product affairs at Ford, says the company didn’t pay for the placement, but spent a hefty sum promoting the film via MTV, online and in magazines.

“With Casino Royale, which featured a Mondeo, we funded an international ad campaign,” she says. “A Bond movie gives an effective boost for the Ford brand.”

The car most associated with Bond is the Aston Martin. Matthew Clarke, product communications manager at the

"A Bond movie gives an effective boost for the Ford brand"

British marque, says the benefit is ­“almost immeasurable­”. Aston Martin doesn’t ­advertise because its car has global­ “­visibility” through Bond.

Steve Fowler, editor of What Car? magazine, says: “Product placement is hit or miss. Does anyone remember Val Kilmer’s Volvo C70 in The Saint? But Bond has ­definitely worked for Aston Martin.”

The Ka is a “low-cost, fun car” that has a bright ­interior and wacky colour schemes designed to appeal to younger drivers. It’s cheeky-looking, with long, pointy headlamps, a curvaceous bonnet and a chunky rear bumper. ­Optional extras include a Bluetooth phone connection, a six-speaker stereo, and heated seats. More importantly, it offers good crash protection.

It costs from £7,995, is cheap to run and kind to the environment. The 1.2-­litre petrol model has cut fuel consumption by 21 per cent and does 55.4 mpg. It has low CO2 emissions, under 120g/km, which means £35 a year in road tax.

While it won’t be the fastest in 007’s stable, it will ­always have the glamour of the Bond connection, providing a quantum­ of ­solace for owners in good times and bad.