AUTOMOTIVE - AUTOS: Winners And Losers Of 2011

AUTOS: Winners And Losers Of 2011

Some of the notable successes and failures from an interesting automotive year...

Winners and losers, every automotive year has them, with cars or technology that either make the grade with critics and consumers or fall short for whatever reason.

Here?s a short list of those that made it and those that didn?t:

Winner: Chevy Camaro ZL1 ? Chevrolet rolled out the most powerful production Camaro ever, powered by a 555-horsepower aluminum V8.

Loser: Honda Civic ? A cheapened interior and softened drivability cause critics to pile on with the negatives, including Consumer Reports which removed Civic from its recommended list.

Winner: Volkswagen Beetle ? VW performs a complete makeover on its retro coupe, addressing longstanding complaints and removing much of its terminal cutesiness.

Loser: Saab ? The slow, dismal demise of this Swedish enthusiast brand was sad to watch as attempts to resuscitate were blocked at every turn.

Winner: Porsche 911 ? The iconic German sports car returns yet again completely updated but still keeping the faith with its 1960s roots.

Loser: Fiat 500 ? Despite charming retro styling and fun drivability, Fiat?s first re-entry to the U.S. market falls flat. Blame is placed on the car being launched without the dealer network to support it.

Winner: Ford Mustang Boss 302 ? Ford reaches deep into its past and produces the rebirth of a storied muscle car, not just in appearance but in performance.

Loser: MyFord Touch ? An attempt to enhance driver interface with a suite of electronic features instead winds up being confusing and distracting, and sent back to the drawing board.

Winner: Hyundai Veloster ? The South Korean automaker stays on top of its game with a sparkling new compact rated at 40 mpg on the highway, and with a third door on the passenger side for backseat access.

Loser: Chevrolet Volt ? The modern world?s first extended-range electric car gets a tepid reception from consumers as well as two incidents with battery fires after crash tests. Chevy brass also takes a beating for its tardy revelation of the battery-fire issue.

i>Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at

Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-winners-and-losers-of-2011/

mcrib pumpkin seeds mark herzlich malawi malawi angela davis angela davis