Willya stop it with the Hybrids already?! The auto industry has been pumping out Hybrid vehicle after Hybrid vehicle for the past few months, and it is making Canada and me sick to our stomachs. These things aren't viable, we all know that; none of them will be on the road by 2018, so willya just effing quit it already? Has anyone heard of the Nissan Leaf? Or Fisker Karma? Or the Honda FCX?

While I am absolutely sick of Hybrids, and the Geneva Auto Show was absolutely rife with them, there were some interesting concepts displayed in the halls of the Geneva Palexpo. Audi debuted an A1 Hybrid, whose gas-o-propulsions arrive via a single-rotor Wankel. Interesting.

So, there were some hits and some misses. You may not agree, but this is what I think are the most significant Belles and Duds of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show . . .

One of the problems with America is that we just can't accept a good thing and then leave it well enough alone. Mopar (Dodge, whatever) has seen its darling baby, the Challenger, hacked to pieces by every tuner from the reputable, Hennessey and Steve Saleen, to the less than reputable.

So, just like last year, Dodge has decided to produce a limited run of 'Drag-Pack' Challengers. Perfect mod's for a slightly hampered muscle car? Or total waste of money and engineering effort? You be the judge, inside the post . . .

The Shelby GT500 has been interesting, if not odd and misconceived, since its debut in 2007. Five hundred horsepower, unique body cladding, and a mean-ass exhaust note set this car apart from run of the mill Mustangs. But there were problems. Ford has always told anyone who will listen that they saddle the Retro-Stang with a solid rear axle in the name of satisfying drag-racers. Okay, that's complete BS, but they were able to make this axle work so well it can almost be overlooked.

That sort of mercy doesn't get extended to the Shelby's iron-block 5.4 liter V8. An iron block? Really? Other automakers are able to churn out much more then 500 horsepower from aluminum blocks, the Gen three Chevy small-block comes to mind. Why would Ford go with an iron block at a time when iron was being phased out of every engine, even the trucks that this re-badged Triton came from. To save a few pennies? Really?

So, the automotive press bitched and moaned. Regardless, Ford still sold a respectable number of Shelbys. The iron block wasn't going to sink this vessel as the pundits so vehemently thought it would. Which was fine, until Ford realized that it could eliminate the Gas Guzzler Tax with better economy and less weight. And that is exactly what Ford dun did: tossed the iron in favor of aluminum, saving 120 pounds and a little MPG at the same time . . .

Ford has been on a surprising roll lately. Anyone who has spent time in a Five Hundred or Ranger recently could safely assume that the FoMoCo is dead in the water. Not the case, not even close. Allan Mullaly, Boeing-Mender extraordinaire, has lent his cost-cutting, product-consolidating skills to the Blue Oval, and in three years they have gone from also-ran to a recurring nightmare in the Toyoda house hold. (Using Toyota's proprietary hybrid technology against them; brilliant!).

So, along comes 2010 and with it the most exciting new product from Ford in a long time. A new 5.0 liter V8 (now with four-lobed bang-sticks riding in it's aluminum heads) for the Mustang, a new 6.2 for the SVT Raptor, and, most importantly (volume-wise), a new Euro-centric Focus . . . not to mention Lincoln updates and the frighteningly kewl Scorpion diesel. Mosey inside the post for all the gory details . . .

America has been throwing around the word "Reveals" as if, well, it were an actual word. It isn't; stop that. There aren't any "Hawt New Reveals" coming from the North American International Auto Show, namely because there is no such thing as a "reveals". My ass is puckering just thinking about the first guy who was trying to put together a montage for a LOST commercial and decided the voice-over would include the phrase "Stay tuned this season for shocking reveals" . .. he should be shot, whoever he is. I thought "Newspeak" was the silliest concept ever, the first time I read 1984. Then I watched American televison. And I heard "melty". And I heard "reveals". And now I'm wondering if my TV is watching me while I sleep . . .

Enough of that! There are cerraazzzeee new cars coming to market, and the 'Shopper has your short list of vehicles to watch in 2010 and beyond. First up, the mighty (sic) General Motors . . .

The Buick Regal GS is as exciting as a Buick could possibly be;

Chevy Aveo RS is . . . interesting .. .

and the numbers are in: 2009 SUCKED!

It appeared, at the beginning of the year, that 2009 would be the Harbinger of Doom for the American Car Industry. The last year of this decade saw GM burn through two CEOs, Toyota try to murder Americans via floormat, and Ford present itself as the most sensible car-maker on the planet . . . who saw that coming?!

Well, turn that 2009 frown upside down;, the sales results from December are in, and they kick ass! Ford, Toyota, Subaru, and Hyundai Group are all up 15% compared to December 2008, while GM brands Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac are all up 13%. The industry as whole is down 21%, but we will take positive news where we can get it. Venture inside the post for the hard numbers and statistics . . .

Yes yes , I know, I know! This is the second post in a row with a video kyped directly from a competing website. It happens to us all the time; check the date on this post, and then the date on this one. Yeah, exactly. That same thing has happened many times since the 'Shopper Blog went live in September. I'm not mad at all, just pointing out that we are not the only shameless thieves.

This, my friends, is the best audio I have found of the Mercedes AMG SLS. Eff Jay Leno and his weirdness; these videos are here to celebrate the SLS, in all its glitteringly perfect glory . . .

I like fast cars and I like comic strips. Combine the two and you've got me pretty smitten. Cell-shading has been used in many video games and movies to create an 'illustrated' feeling for real-life video. Top Gear has taken the idea to new heights with its review of the Lexus LFA.

The Ford Mustang has always been a desirable car. Not a good car per se, but certainly desirable. From the compact proportions of the Fox-body cars to the muscular quarter-window dogleg found on SN-95 Mustangs, there were always things to like about the modern Mustang. In 2005 Ford decided that the car deserved an influx of 'cool'. The consumer climate at the time was arguably as fertile for Ford as it was in 1965. Having the intensely popular "pony-car" market to yourself (GM killed the Camaro/Firebird in 2002, and there was no offering in the sub-thirty grand price range featuring a V8 and rear-wheel drive . . . from any manufacturer!) is one thing, but Ford placing itself on the leading edge of 2005's retro-styling trend was sheer genius. The Mini was selling like Copenhagen at a Marine BX and Ford had learned many lessons on how not to produce a retro car from the ill-fated 2002 Thunderbird.

Using this knowledge and the market reports from Mini, among others, Ford redesigned the Mustang and pooped out a serious winner. Ford took the car racing. They won . . . everything. Grand-Am, Euro GT3 and 4, even the Shelby Cobra began to rack up victories in the Speed World Challenge GT division.

For 2009 the Mustang was updated with smoother exterior styling and a niffty one-piece dash. The car is nice looking, but as usual the powertrains offered in the non-Cobra models left something to be desired. Still, the Mustang was able to take comparison test wins from the Camaro and Challenger despite being down nearly 100 bhp to those to cars. Ford hath conquered, but there is no rest for the wicked.

For 2010 the Mustang GT gets the power it has been sorely lacking, in the form of a high-tech DOHC beast affectionately named "Coyote". To those of us occupying real estate in Central Florida, the engine is called, simply: "Five-Oh" . . .