Even automobile journalists have their favorite cars and though there are several for which I have great affection, Jaguar rates number one for me and has held that spot ever since I first saw an XK120 roadster. In my opinion, no manufacturer of mass produced cars created as many beautiful models as Jaguar and the remarkable thing is, that beauty didn't just apply to sports cars. The sedans, with a couple of rare exceptions, looked just as swift and elegant.

In 2010 the company celebrates its 75th anniversary, having revitalised the brand with three new models, beginning with the award-winning XF, a four door, five seater that has the looks of a coupe and the heart of a sports car, followed by the new XK coupe and convertible and recently the ground-breaking XJ sedan. Together they continue a tradition that began fifty years ago when the lineup first included a sports car, a sports sedan, and a full-size luxury car. Racing, of course, is a Jaguar tradition, as its legendary record at LeMans attests. The company is returning to the racetrack this year with its new JaguarRSR XKR GT2 and will compete in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Remarkably the race cars were also known for their beauty of form, none more than the legendary D-Type, which later lent its lines to the E-Type of the 1960's, often described by critics as the most beautiful car ever built.




During the year Jaguar will celebrate its 75th anniversary at some of the world's most glamorous automotive settings, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival in the UK; the Concours D'Elegance at Pebble Beach in the US, and at the Mille Miglia classic in Italy. No doubt Jaguar clubs all over the world will add to the celebrations with special events of their own. Meanwhile you might like to feast your eyes on the gallery of classic Jaguars that Autoblog has assembled for your viewing pleasure.

A couple of years back, Toyota's chairman declared that he intended his company to become the world's largest automaker. "Be careful what you wish for," the saying goes, for Toyota soon passed GM to become the big number one. Now the Japanese giant is discovering that being biggest is not always best. Once famous for impeccable product quality Toyota has been hit with an unusual (for Toyota) number of recalls and currently is involved in a nightmare of a situation that could cause it to lose not only sales but priceless brand loyalty.

The problem began a few weeks ago when owners complained of sticking accelerators that caused their vehicles to speed up, regardless of attempts to slow them by braking. It appeared that improperly fitted floor mats were to blame. (Note: North America's notoriously inadequate driver training programs apparently never demonstrate that simply moving the transmission lever into neutral allows a car to coast to a stop. Or that it can then limp home in first or second gear, if necessary, to maintain a slower speed.) Floor mats were easy to replace but then a new culprit was found, a faulty part in the accelerator pedal mechanism. This can wear over time, causing the accelerator pedal to return to position slowly or even stick in the open position.

First came a recall, which was bad enough for Toyota, but then the company ordered dealers to stop selling eight models, whether new or used. There was no fix immediately available and so the plants that made those vehicles also had to be shut down. The supplier responsible for manufacturing the problem parts, CTS Corporation, has finished developing a replacement mechanism and some units have already been shipped to plants but with 2.3 million cars affected, and dealers and customers anxiously awaiting the new parts, a lengthy delivery period could cause anger and frustration.

To give Toyota credit, quickly shutting down plants and stopping sales assures dealers and owners that the company is giving customer safety the highest priority. Yet it's doubtful that Toyota will ever regain the exalted position it once held. After all, it took Audi many years to overcome its unintended acceleration debacle in the 80s, even though the claims were proven totally false. So Toyota got what it wanted but I suspect the company would gladly give up the "world's largest" crown if it could backtrack and spend more time and money on quality control and less on expansion of plants and overcrowded brand segments.

A little as two years ago many of the automaker heads were making rude remarks about the future of electric cars. My, how the times have changed! Now they're all rushing to introduce hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electrics, either as production cars or prototypes. Nowhere was this more evident than at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show where an entire section was devoted to electric cars. The New York Times has a slide show on the new models, which you can view here, although the editorial team missed the Audi e-tron, a major oversight in my opinion. England's ClassicDriver magazine did, however, offer a feature on the car with several photos and considerable detail.

Audi is one of the companies that had ignored (or pretended to ignore) the role of electric cars in the near future. The rear-wheel drive e-tron is powered by two electric motors mounted on the rear axle, producing 204 hp and a massive amount of torque. Weight has been kept down due to careful use of materials and a powerful lithium ion battery pack. 0 to 62 acceleration takes but 5.9 seconds, with 37mph to 75mph coming up in 5.1 seconds. Top speed is limited to 124mph. Range in the combined cycle should be approximately 155 miles. The new Audi can be recharged in 11 hours but use of 400 volts/32 amps cuts this to around two hours. A heat pump provides cabin heating with a minimum input of additional, stored battery energy. At the rear a new brake-by-wire system uses two floating-caliper brakes mounted on the axle, actuated purely by electronics. Front brakes are conventional hydraulics. Reminiscent of the TT, with similar handling but better looking, the Audi e-tron suggests a sporting future for electric cars. Obviously the bright light was on in the company's advanced design and engineering studios long before the executives were willing to admit it.

Back in the land of here-and-now a collaboration by Mitsubishi of Canada and Hydro-Québec will put up to 50 zero-emission all-electric i-MiEV passenger cars on the streets of the City of Boucherville in the largest Canadian project ever fielded to integrate, test, and evaluate all-electric vehicles under real-world conditions. Smart move, for Quebec winter driving conditions are the toughest of any Canadian province or northern US state. Believe me, I've lived there and I know. Which, of course, is why I now live on Canada's west coast where snow stays up in the mountains where it belongs.

Sitting here at my computer desk 2800 miles away, it's difficult to comment honestly on the new cars and concepts at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Like you, I've perused various Web sites and watched the TV sound bites but the mixture of hyperbole on one hand and criticism on the other, plus the usual image distortion that comes with photos, is inadequate if one really wants to know what the vehicles actually look and feel like. There are some the journalists are raving about that don't look exciting to me and others I find appealing that didn't ring their bells.

But two new cars that I know are exciting (I've seen one in person) are by Ford and they symbolise the future of personal transportation in North America. That's a North America that finally admits that for most uses, smaller is smarter beats bigger is better. I'm talking about the 2010 Ford Fiesta in the photo up top, and the 2011 Ford Focus in the photo below. The Fiesta is the more compact of the two and yes, it's even prettier in the metal. With its sleek lines, roomy interior, and excellent performance the Fiesta sets a new standard for its class.



Later this year we'll see the official launch of the 2011 Ford Focus, which is so good I'd happily trade in my 2003 Focus ZX5, which just happens to be one of the best cars I've ever owned (greater than the sum of its parts).

Both cars are built on international platforms and in contrast to past years nothing has been done to "soften" them for our markets. The Fiesta and Focus you get will be virtually identical to the European versions; great news, indeed. Not surprisingly the 2011 Focus comes in both sedan and hatchback versions whereas the current model (for which I'd definitely not trade my ZK5) is only available as a sedan. Normally I'd add a few rude remarks about the sedan because I believe hatches are infinitely superior but in this case the Focus sedan's so handsome I've chosen to display it here.

Together with its NAIAS Car and Truck of the Year awards, the Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect, Ford is positioning itself as a world leader in the design and engineering of affordable automobiles. The New GM is going to have a hard time keeping up and as for Fiat/Chrysler I wouldn't bet the bank on its future, much as I'd like to see the company succeed.

1. Ikea buys Saab, considers building kit cars that can be assembled entirely with an Allen Key.

2. Bob Lutz quits General Motors, comes back again, finally retires to play with his classic car collection.

3. Toyota offers free driving lessons to "unintended acceleration" claimants.

4. Bernie Ecclestone resigns from F1, cheers heard around the world.

5. NASCAR discovers fuel injection, overhead cams, stock bodies that really are stock. Cheers heard around America.

6. Ralph Nader caught drifting in a 1963 Corvair, admits it was all a con to sell books.

7. Spy shot: 2011 Mustang with independent rear suspension.

8. Goodyear Blimp replaces internal combustion engines with battery-powered motors.

9. Volkswagen wants to be world's biggest carmaker by 2018, can't explain why.

10. Flying car spotted testing in China, North Korea panics and shoots it down. Blames USA.

[Photo credit: Alex Samlihan]