2011 will be remembered as many things by many people, but one thing it will not be seen as is a boring year. So much happened this year around the world, from terrible cataclysms to amazing and inspiring revolutions. Obviously being a car site, we want to focus more on the auto industry, but it would be a great injustice not to first acknowledge the events of this year that have changed the lives of millions of people around the globe. Now as for the auto industry, many great things have happened as well as a few that are not so great.   

We must first start off with an obituary to SAAB, who went belly up this year due to financial woes. They began as a truly unique product that was far different from the rest of the industry. This created a nice little niche market for them. Then GM bought them up, and the beginning of the end was in sight, even though it would be a number of years before their actual failure. I say this because GM turned them into another one of their common parts bin brands, taking much of SAAB’s unique character away. They survived until GM had to sell them, and then they were left with a fleet of mediocre, overpriced cars and without any solid financial support. I hope to see SAAB return in the not too distant future though. I think the brand has a lot to offer if allowed to carry on in their own unique fashion.

Next up we have Jaguar/Land Rover, taking a big step and creating a new small SUV segment with their Evoque. It brings a new level of design, efficiency, and versatility to the table in a market that was composed of all big, gas guzzling, tanks that all pretty much look alike. It is likely that other luxury SUV manufacturers will follow with their own competitors to the Evoque, and I look forward to the success of this new segment. Jaguar released facelifts of a few models, as well as some very intriguing concepts, but its wild XKR-S was the most fun by far, and we were lucky enough to be able to test drive it at Pebble Beach.

VW/Audi continues to climb I their appeal in the industry. 2011 saw all sorts of new cars from them and their subsidiaries. Bentley brought out a new version of the Continental, their best selling car of all time, and it looks like it will continue to carry that torch. The GT3 RS 4.0 was the grand finale of the 997 line, and may be the greatest 911 of all time, and the 991 made its debut and will carry on the 911 into the next generation. Porsche also released the Cayman R, the best of the 987 cars to date. Lamborghini’s Aventador stepped into the Murcielago’s shoes as the brand’s V12 flagship with scissor doors, and I believe it is the best looking scissor door Lambo of all time. Audi’s A6 is the best one yet, and the A7 offers a new four door coupe model with a striking new design. And finally, VW released the new Beetle with a more wide ranging appeal than the last model, and looks that are a direct nod to the original Volkswagen of the 1930s. VW also brought out their new Passat and Touareg models which have both been met with critical acclaim.

In Italy, Ferrari brought out their new flagship GT model, the FF, which has a beautiful shooting brake design and a 651hp V12 under its hood. The FF, also the first all wheel drive Ferrari, is fantastic and modern machine with a classical approach toward making a practical grand touring car. Also, Pagani released the Huayra, an all new model set to replace the, now legendary, Zonda. It offers stellar, hypercar performance but with a level of artistry and vision down to its smallest detail not seen from any other brand out there. Pagani continues to astound the world with is masterful designs and drive to create the best car on Earth.

Mercedes continues to set many luxury standards with their new M-Class, CLS, C Coupe, etc. Also, the SLS roadster offers open top fun at the expense of it’s gullwing awesomeness, not sure I’d make that deal. Also, it was announced that the Maybach brand would be axed due to low sales volumes, 1%ers feel free to take a moment to collect yourselves.

BMW dropped the 1M on the world, to vast critical acclaim, and their whole lineup continues to lead the industry in driving dynamics. The F10 M5 looks to be some great fun, as does the new 6 series with its new, sculpted shape that is a bit more elegant than the last model. BWM also introduced its new 2.0L turbo motor which will serve as a solid base for most of their models in the US, a great move in my opinion. We look forward to seeing more on the new 3 series in the coming year, and hope to see BMW keep doing things absolutely right.

In America, the Big Three continue to improve. Chrysler’s new Charger/300 are big steps up from their last models, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee is also at a much higher level. Over at GM, I was disappointed to see the Volt not selling as well as I’d hoped it would, being by far the best hybrid design out there right now. Cadillac continues to be the only US luxury brand able to compete with the Europeans, and I hope they cotinue to make good decisions. Ford FINALLY got their head on straight and decided to bring the European Focus to the US, and is pursuing their “One Ford” plan, which hopefully will make their cars better across the board (seems like it should have been common sense all along, but better late than never I guess). Ford’s Lincoln brand continues to fail miserably though, and they really should be taken off the market, reinvented, and brought back after a couple years when they can compete.

In Asia, Hyundai continues to show promising signs about it’s future as a powerhouse brand with the introduction of models ranging from the $20,000 Veloster to the $70,000 Equus. Honda continues to do “basic” right. Toyota’s new Camry seems promising, and their joint venture with Subaru, the rear wheel drive GT86/BRZ/FRS, could be a home run waiting to happen. At Nissan, the new GTR is improved over previous models, and offers more supercar shattering performance than ever for ¼ the price. The Leaf electric car, on the other hand, is probably the worst car on the market right now because it’s technology was never really ready for full production and use in the real world.

On a different note, tomorrow, January 1^st, 2012, marks Mind Over Motor’s 6 month mark. We went live on June 1^st of this year and in just these few months have seen some very solid success in getting off the ground. We continue to have a blast running this site as it has opened many doors for us, as well as given us an excuse to go out an have some fun. We really enjoy sharing our experiences with all of you, and we continue to urge any of you to email us your experiences and have them shared on the site. We cannot wait to see where we will be this time next year, and what else we will have done. We have a lot cooking for the future, so stay tuned.

 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

 

-The MoM Crew