German Car Zone

Bruce · 10-02-2007, 04:35 PM

>> Cars, trucks with impact - USATODAY.com

Do take note that this is from a North American perspective.

1. 1992 Toyota Camry
Not sexy, but a game-changer. Japan Inc.’s first truly American sedan. The late Robert McCurry, then head of Toyota’s U.S. sales, demanded Japan give him a bigger, smoother car. It helped propel Camry to best-selling car and pushed Detroit close to irrelevant in the car market

2. 1991 Ford Explorer
3. 2001 Toyota Prius
4. 1984 Chrysler minivans

5. 1986 Hyundai Excel
Hah, hah, hah, hah. A little South Korean car cheap enough at $4,995 to put on your credit card. Solid foundation, apparently. More models were added, sales boomed, quality improved. Hyundai’s now No. 7 in sales, behind Detroit 3, Japan Big 3.

6. 1986 Ford Taurus
7. 1990 Lexus LS 400
8. 1990 Mazda Miata
9. 1986 Acura Legend

10. 1996 Toyota RAV4
SUV body on a Corolla compact car chassis. Voila, the first crossover SUV

11. 1994 Ford Mustang
12. 1991 Saturn SL
13. 1997 Ford F-150
14. 2003 Hummer H2

15. 2002 Mini Cooper
Proof you can sell a small car for a big price if you have the look and the legacy.

16. 1998 Lincoln Navigator
17. 1986 Yugo
18. 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser

19. 2001 Pontiac Aztec
It was supposed to look hip, but never rose above ugly. Said GM CEO Rick Wagoner: “You know you’re going to get a love-hate reaction, but you kind of hope there’s somebody on the love side.”

20. 2001 Cadillac CTS
21. 1986 Suzuki Samurai
22. GM Impact

23. 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle
A safer, better equipped, more powerful version of the little car that could. VW’s grudging acknowledgement that the U.S. market was important enough for a car of its own. You couldn’t see it without smiling.

24. 2005 Scion xB

25. 2002 BMW 7 Series
Gave us two things we didn’t need: Ungainly styling in back, complicated iDrive mega-control system inside. Unfortunately, BMW being BMW, other brands felt a need to follow.