Road & Track's rundown of the most exciting cars for the new 2011 model year.
By R&T staff
· : American brands that have left the building.
· : New automakers poised to pounce in 2011.
· : Things we like and things we could do without.
After a depressing slump for the past two years, 2011 looks to be an uptick for the automotive world. Even our beleaguered American manufacturers have a spring in their step, especially , which is firmly back on profitable ground, while (that's right—we said Buick) has a car in the Regal GS that we're downright excited about. There's tons of buzz about B-class cars, like the new Ford Fiesta and Mazda2, along with the market launch of range-extended electric car, the Volt, and pure electric Leaf. And could 2011 be the year we finally drive a ?
While GM and Ford have whittled away nameplates, new brands are on their way to the States to pick up the slack, such as with the launch of its cute little 500. Luckily for enthusiasts, the news isn't all about small cars and electrics: 2011 marks the return of Automotive with its super-high-tech mid-engine MP4-12C, while the Italians— with its Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and with its 458 Italia—continue to do what they do best, despite the recessionary times: produce the kind of soul-stirring machines that we daydreamed about back in elementary school.
Up first: