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 Ford, which is firmly back on profitable ground, while Buick (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 Chevy’s range-extended electric car, the Volt, and Nissan’s pure electric Leaf. And could 2011 be the year we finally drive a Fisker Karma?
While GM and Ford have whittled away nameplates, new brands are on their way to the States to pick up the slack, such as Fiat 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 McLaren Automotive with its super-high-tech mid-engine MP4-12C, while the Italians—Lamborghini with its Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and Ferrari 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.