10 American Companies That Will Disappear in 2011

Here's a list from DailyFinance.com:
Saab USA

Saab has tried to create a renaissance of sorts. The company was sold to Netherlands specialty carmaker Spyker last year. Spyker took an awful risk, particularly in the U.S. -- because Saab is one of the few car firms that did recover when the U.S. car market expanded last year. The total number of cars and light vehicles sold in America in 2010 was up 11% to 11.6 million.

Sales of some niche brands surged. Porsche sales in the U.S. were up 29% to over 29,000. Audi sales rose 22% to over 101,000. But Saab sales collapsed -- falling 37% to 5,445. American car companies have also created new lines of vehicles that have begun to sell well, particularly in the middle market where Saab operates. The Japanese still control the lower-price, high-quality portion of the market. And Korea's Hyundai took share from nearly everyone else last year, as its sales rose over 24% to just above 538,000. There's no room in the American market for tiny operator like Saab.

Office Depot

The company is running third in a three-horse race with Office Max and Staples. Office Depot also has to compete with small business centers in Sam's Clubs and Costcos. The firm operates on razor-thin margins, while managing 1,150 locations -- which are very costly due to employee and real estate expenses. Office Depot is a strong candidate to be taken over by one of its rivals or a broader retail chain like Target.

The market is too competitive for Office Depot to stand on its own. A consolidation in the sector would allow a merged operation to cut thousands of people and close hundreds of locations. Operating margins, then, would not be so modest.

Dean Foods

The maker of dairy products like Land O'Lakes and Silk has struggled as much as any other large public company this year. The costs of raw milk, butterfat, soybeans and sugar have risen sharply. Dean Foods has also been crippled by debt. The firm's shares were down as much as 60% at one point during the last 12 months.

Despite all the bad news, hedge fund investor David Tepper bought a 7.35% stake in the company. Dean Foods shares rose 9% after the announcement. Dean has already sold its yogurt business to Schreiber Foods. And Tepper, one of the cleverest investors on Wall Street, has probably bet the balance of Dean Foods will be sold off in parts. Probably the Fresh Dairy Direct-Morningstar and WhiteWave/Alpro business units would draw the most bidders. Watch for Dean to be broken up, to satisfy debtholders and arge investors.

Frontier Airlines

The carrier is owned by Republic Airways Holdings and was bankrupt when Republic bought it in 2009. Republic recently merged another of its holdings, Midwest Air, into Frontier. Denver-based Frontier is simply too small to compete in the domestic carrier market -- which has become increasingly dominated by large airlines that are growing due to mergers.

Wall Street has also become increasingly worried about Republic's future. Its shares are down 13% over the last quarter, while shares in rival JetBlue are up 9% during the same time frame. Frontier's Milwaukee hub, which serves the East and Midwest, and its Denver hub, which serves the West, the South, and Mexico, would be valuable to a larger carrier. Airline mergers and buyouts like the Continental/United deal and Delta's takeover of Northwest are popular in the industry because they allow for personnel reductions and route cuts -- as well as trimming the number of aircraft that have to be maintained. Two airlines together can have a better margin than separately. Frontier is a buyout target; its brand is not.

Sara Lee

The company that makes Ball Park hot dogs and Jimmy Dean breakfast foods is already being circled by corporations in similar businesses and by private equity firms -- groups interested in breaking Sara Lee up. Apollo Global Management has recently considered a bid. JBS, the Brazilian meat processor, made an offer that was turned down.

Media reports say Sara Lee is in the midst of a plan to separate its coffee and meat businesses. If that happens, the new companies may be named Hillshire Farm and Pickwick Tea. A deal to sell off pieces of the firm will probably happen before midyear.

Borders

The large bookstore chain is almost gone already. The only question remaining is whether it will be dissolved or sold to a related retailer like Barnes & Noble. It appears Borders has little choice other than to go bankrupt, given its debt and cash-flow situation. Two ominous signs for the bookseller: It says it's unable to pay some of its largest publishers for their books.

Border's stock also dropped under $1 a share, a warning sign that the shares could eventually be delisted -- that is, if Borders lasts long enough. The company's 500 locations may have value to a buyer, but its name does not, being associated with little more than failure.

Gateway

Gateway was bought by Taiwanese PC giant Acer in 2007. Acer is currently the No. 3 PC company in the world after Dell and Hewlett-Packard. The buyout was not unlike the one that China-based Lenovo made of the IBM PC division. Lenovo found the IBM brand was useful for marketing in the U.S., but dropped the name in favor of its own. Lenovo saw no reason to support two brands any longer and wanted to be recognized by its corporate name in the U.S. market.

Acer, meanwhile, has become an established brand in the U.S. over the last two years, particularly for its netbooks and notebooks -- while the Gateway brand has faded. Gateway is still a stand-alone corporation but will likely disappear this year.

DollarThrifty

Dollar Thrifty has a tentative deal to be bought by Avis Budget -- but the FTC has not given the transaction final approval. If the buyout closes, then the Avis, Budget, Dollar and Thrifty car rental businesses will all be under one roof. Dollar Thrifty has lost any momentum in its efforts to expand. The company said in December that it would add 31 new franchises in the U.S. It has 1,550 locations in 81 countries worldwide.

Ironically, Dollar Thrifty is itself the result of a merger of two companies. Thrifty was owned by Chrysler and combined with Dollar in 1990. Avis should close its takeover by mid-2011

Answers Corp.

The online search firm's stock is down 40% in five years. Google, in comparison was up nearly 40% during that period. The smaller company had third-quarter revenue of only $4.5 million, which means it barely has a reason to be a public company. Operating income for the quarter was only $379,000, and its total average page views daily are about 14 million.

Answers will likely be sold to a company that could use its technology platform and unique visitor traffic. This might include one of the portals or large online content companies like News Corp. The company's market value is only $65 million, which is pocket change for a really large Web company.

E*Trade

There are too many big discount brokers in the U.S. There have been persistent rumors that E*Trade will be bought by one of its larger competitors --Charles Schwab or TDAmeritrade. The rumors even caused a large move in E*Trade's options early last month. Broker Collins Stewart downgraded E*Trade shares recently, pointing to problems with loan portfolio growth on the banking side of the online brokerage's business.

Wall Street's view of the other two discounters is much more positive. The brokerage business has been ideal for consolidation for years. Full-service brokers went through a large number of mergers and acquisitions in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The reason for the rollups were compelling then as they are now for E*Trade. There are a number of expensive duplicate functions among these companies -- which include marketing costs, trading platforms and administration. Either Schwab or TDAmeritrade will use those economies of scale to buy E*Trade, the weakest member of the sector.

10 American Companies That Will Disappear in 2011
DOUGLAS MCINTYRE
01/18/11
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/investing/10-american-companies-that-will-disappear-in-2011/19798647

A Perfect Porsche, Philosophically Speaking

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240613832721630.html

RUMBLE SEAT
MAY 15, 2010
A Perfect Porsche, Philosophically Speaking
A face-crunching, 500-horsepower jaunt in the new Turbo 911 Cabriolet: 'I shouldn't be driving like this'
DAN NEIL

Screaming into a top-down tornado at 130 mph in the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet, I am reminded—as I'm sure most people are—of Thomas Aquinas.

To wit: When is a thing perfect, complete, finished—when does Porsche drop the paint brush and walk away from the canvas? When will one more stroke diminish the whole?

The medieval philosopher, riffing on Aristotle, argued that a thing is perfect when it lacks nothing (the Greek "teleos," or completeness, approximates the Latin "perfectio") and that it ultimately attains its purpose.

Well, man, if this car isn't there I'll eat my skullcap. Let's count it out: 500 hp; 0-60 mph in a forebrain-flattening 3.3 seconds; top speed of 194 mph; a nice even 1 g of lateral grip; all-wheel drive. Throw in a great canvas top and 24 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, and an exhaust note that sounds like the Kraken gargling 50-year-old Glenfiddich, and it begins to appear as if the long history of the Porsche 911 has to come to some sort of immense, satisfying conclusion. I mean, even if you regard this thing as merely a bald-spot delivery system for rich dudes, it does that mission so exceeding well. Aren't we flirting with the best of all possible sports cars here?

Yes, obviously, a car could always be better. The Turbo Cab could cost $19.95, come with 73 virgins, use the owner's smugness as a propellent. From its lethal-looking dual exhaust pipes, the Turbo Cab might emit only rainbows and unicorns.

And this is not, in fact, the fastest 911 out there. Porsche just announced that its 911 GT2 RS (620 hp, 205 mph) just lapped Germany's Nurburgring track in 7:18. But I've driven an RS and it's like playing ice hockey with angry Klingons—simply and summarily brutal.

What's memorable, and deeply anomalous, about the 911 Turbo Cab is that its default mode is so peaceable and tranquil: just big rolling swells of alpha waves and harmonious endorphins. When you start the car, the exhaust system is corked—which is to say, a sound-limiting valve is switched on in the exhaust plumbing. The adaptive suspension is set on N for, I guess, "Nice." The Automatic mode in the optional seven-speed PDK (double-clutch, paddle-shifted manual transmission) changes ratios so sweetly, so imperceptibly, you might think it just has one big magical, mithril cog in the transaxle.

Thus configured, and motoring at 60 mph through a Southern twilight on fresh asphalt with the top down, fireflies vectoring past the windshield like warp stars, the 911 Turbo Cab is effortless and euphoric. It ought to be a DEA Schedule I controlled substance.

It's not like last year's model was a dud. But Porsche has yet raised the 911's game again, with a new 3.8-liter direct-injection turbocharged engine that produces 500 hp and a maximum 516 pound-feet or torque, while returning fuel 13 percent better fuel efficiency than the previous model. We should all be so dedicated to self-improvement.

Rather Hurricane-y

The 500-hp, 194-mph Porsche Turbo Cabriolet (convertible, if you like) is one of the three or four fastest open-air cars in the world. Drivers are cautioned not let their tongues hang out lest they become entangled like Isadora Duncan's scarf.

Sort of Subdued

The 911 Turbo Cab offers hypercar performance in a much stealthier frame. Unlike a Lambo or Ferrari, you can drive this thing around town without looking like a candidate for MTV's "Tool Academy."

But then you start adjusting things. You slap the shift lever over to the left, into the PDK's manual mode gate. Now the gearshifts are controlled at the steering-wheel mounted shift paddles. The shifts come harder and more abruptly now, and when you floor it you better be ready to upshift like, now! or you'll hit the rev limiter. The sensation is like being snatched to a stop in a high-speed elevator.

Then you press the Sport Plus button on the center console. This does many things, none of them particularly soothing. The exhaust system uncorks; the suspension stiffens. In cars equipped with the so-called Sport Chrono package, you have access to Launch Control and an overboost function, in which the variable-pitch twin-turbo, 3.8-liter flat-six kicks out even more insane torque. Oops, now you've done it. You've made the car angry.

The resulting machine is exactly the soul-chewing, face-pulling monster you'd expect of a new Porsche Turbo: fitful and furious, hyperkinetic, breathtakingly responsive, with big, whopping, molten sounds on trailing throttle, the sort of aural elementalism exhibited by Icelandic volcanos. To achieve maximum launch velocity from a dead stop, put your left foot on the brake and your right on the gas, then hold the engine revs to a ghastly, horrifying 6,500 rpm. Let go of the brake. The Launch Control system does the rest. That flavor on the back of your tongue is your lower GI tract.

Stay in the throttle and shift just before redline and you'll be rewarded with a booming turbo report as the car's computers summon an overboost of power. WHOOP! Bang! This thing will put a generation of chiropractors back to work.

In this set-to-kill mode, the car's computerized traction and stability systems are dialed way back so it's completely possible—indeed, pretty easy—to pitch the rear end around under hard braking, or power-slide around a corner, hammering and yammering the redline. Here comes another second-gear corner. Breathe off the throttle to transfer weight to the front of the car. Point toward the corner apex. Hook that marlin! Squeeze the throttle, crank in some countersteering, and look for the horizon.

Oh my. I think I need a moment alone.

At no point, however, should you count yourself a driving genius. Between the car's rear-biased, torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system—sluicing engine power around precisely to accommodate the driver's steering inputs—and the car's other evolved driver-assist systems, the Porsche Turbo cuts more slack than the Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service.

Oh, and brakes. Our test car came equipped with the $8,840 carbon ceramic brakes. Has anybody seen my retinas?

As I said, all of this is exactly what you might expect of the Porsche Turbo. But cabriolets are inherently compromised as compared to their coupe siblings, aren't they? Indeed, the Cabrio is exactly one-tenth of a second slower to 60 mph than the Coupe. It's a compromise I'll accept. This is still a massively capable sports car—deadly fast, hugely entertaining, harder than Superman's handshake.

Here's the thing about engineering, and this car is all about engineering: A machine is never finished, never fully optimized. Engineers subscribe not to Aquinas but Augustine. No machine is ever perfect except when it marches toward perfectibility. In the 35-year history of the Porsche Turbo, the damn thing keeps getting better. Thus this year's model comes with a new direct-injection flat-six, serving the contradictory demands of more power and better fuel efficiency (20 hp and 11 more torques than the previous powerplant, with 13 percent better fuel economy). The car is yet still faster, quicker, more aggressive and more refined.

Yes, sure, I shouldn't be driving like this. I know I'm consuming more fossil fuel than I ought to. It reminds me of some other words by Augustine:

"Lord, make me chaste, but not yet."

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept

http://autos.yahoo.com/auto-shows/geneva_auto_show_2010/1320/Porsche-918-Spyder-Concept

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept
Is the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept green and mean? Yes, with emphasis on the latter.
By Andrew Bornhop | Photos by John Lamm

Who said green cars can’t be mean? Not Porsche. On the eve of the Geneva Auto Show, the Stuttgart-based company took the wraps off the 918 Spyder Concept, a 2-seat mid-engine supercar with hybrid and electric drive technology.

Just how fast is this thing? Well, Porsche says the 918 Spyder Concept hits 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 3.2 seconds, and it blasts to a top speed of 198 mph. Not only that, it laps the Nürburgring in less than 7 minutes 30 seconds, which means it’s even faster than the hallowed Carrera GT.

Just how green is it? Porsche says that, when driven accordingly, the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder Concept gets an outstanding 78 mpg, with an emissions level of just 70 grams of C02 per kilometer.

The 918 Spyder Concept is powered by a high-revving V-8 related to the 3.4-liter in the Porsche RS Spyder racing car. In 918 Spyder form, this mid-mounted engine revs to 9200 rpm and produces more than 500 bhp. Electric motors at the front and rear axles add an additional 218 horsepower to the output. The V-8’s power, and that of the rear electric motor, reaches the Spyder Concept’s rear wheels via a 7-speed PDK gearbox. The drive to the front wheels is pure electric, via a fixed ratio. The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack behind the cockpit can be charged at home, or by brake regeneration.

Porsche 918 Spyder ConceptFour distinct driving modes are available. E Drive is solely electric power, with a range of up to 16 miles. In Hybrid mode, electric power and gasoline power are used as conditions warrant, in ways designed to maximize economy or performance. In Sport Hybrid mode, in which both drive systems maximize performance, most of the power goes rearward, aided by torque vectoring to help the car’s dynamics. Lastly, there’s Race Hybrid mode for the utmost performance, such as running at the limit on the racetrack. In this mode, there’s even a “push to pass” E-Boost feature that feeds in added electrical power for overtaking… or better lap times.

The 918 Spyder’s modular chassis is made of CFP (carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic), while Porsche has also employed lots of magnesium and aluminum to keep the car’s weight down to a reasonably svelte 3285 lb. Aesthetically, the 918 Spyder looks very much like a relative of the Carrera GT. It also looks like it would be perfectly at home on the road or the track. Variable aerodynamics, especially around the rear spoiler, are necessary in a car with such a fast top speed, and the rear hoods extending back from the headrests accommodate retractable air intakes that provide a ram-air function.

Porsche says the interior of the 918 Spyder Concept offers a glimpse of the future, and we’re glad that it remains driver-oriented with circular dial gauges. On the left is one for road speed; in the middle is engine speed (right where it belongs); and on the right is the energy-management gauge. Modernity is addressed via the center console, which has a touch screen for what Porsche calls “intuitive” control of the car’s functions.

Lastly, the 918 Spyder Concept is fitted with a Range Manager. Using the map in the satellite navigation system, the Range Manager displays the remaining range the Spyder is able to cover. And in cities, it will tell you if you can reach your destination on electric power alone. Just the thing to make sure you arrive at the Nürburgring with a full tank.

We admit the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept took us by surprise at Geneva. But we very much like what we see, and the fact that this Porsche has lapped the Nürburgring proves it’s more than a “pie in the sky” concept. It has real production possibilities; and we’re delighted that Porsche sees driving fun as a vital part of its future.

Fun and Fuel Efficient

http://autos.aol.com/article/hybrid/v2/_a/fun-and-fuel-efficient/20071102121809990001

Fun and Fuel Efficient
Eight fun-to-drive cars that get up to 30 mpg
By SHERYLL ALEXANDER, AOL AUTOS

Gas is getting more expensive and yet you still want a fun drive, right? For some car buyers, a genuinely fast ride with excellent handling, braking, tech and entertainment makes for a big fun-to-drive factor.

In the past, these types of cars were commonly the more expensive sporty variety, which weren't usually the best on fuel efficiency. Fortunately, car manufacturers have taken note and provided car buyers of late with some great fun-to-drive vehicles that can truly save you big bucks on gas.

We rounded up eight fun and fuel efficient picks that got at least 30 mpg during our road tests. You no longer need to be bored while saving gas!

MINI COOPER S
Likes: Lightning fast acceleration, perfect transmission, excellent handling and braking, cool retro interior
Dislikes: Too small for large people, big dogs or growing families
MSRP: $21,200-$25,400
Fuel Economy Range: 36 mpg hwy, 29 mpg city

The idea for this fun-to-drive-yet-fuel-efficient story came to mind when a bright red MINI Cooper S with white stripes down the oh-so-cute bonnet showed up in my driveway. I really wasn't expecting to hail this MINI Cooper S as the "most fun car to drive ever." Ironically, I pulled a shoulder muscle pretty badly after four days of happily racing around town in this supercharged 1.6 liter, 16-valve inline, four-cylinder midget.

What's so hot about the MINI? The thing hauls ass and stops on a dime, to say it quite frankly. Despite its tiny body and boxy design, the MINI's tight suspension, light weight and superior balance let this tiny racer take curves with ease, respond quickly to your every move and go warp speeds down straightaways. For even more fun, the six-speed manual Geltrag transmission seems to propel the MINI along effortlessly with both parts race car and genteel British ride.

Think the MINI is only for college kids and chase scenes in action movies? Not so. I found the MINI's funky and fab retro interior to be both functional and more roomy than my expectations (and I'm pretty tall for a woman at 5 ft. 8 inches). Happily, the MINI's Harmon-Kardon sound system really bumped, especially when bobbing and weaving like the wind down Southern California's sunny freeways in this sexy convertible model.

NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID
Likes: Sleek exterior, fast gas-electric engine, techy interior, power everything
Dislikes: Groans and gurgle noises from hybrid engine
MSRP: $25,070 - $30,500
Fuel Economy Range: 42 mpg hwy, 36 mpg city

The Nissan Altima has always been known as a fun car to drive, but what about fuel efficiency? Though Nissan's new hybrid model doesn't get 60 mpg like the Toyota Prius, people buying the Altima hybrid are getting 42 mpg highway, a striking exterior design and great performance.

The bright red 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid model that I drove was certainly flashy with its curvy backside, sleek windows and overall modern look. The 2.5-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder gas-electric engine practically drives itself with its smooth-shifting manual transmission as well as the latest handling systems, such as ABS brake, stability and traction control systems.

I was also quite pleased at how the Nissan Altima Hybrid engine doesn't moan and gurgle quite so much as Toyota's hybrid engines, especially the noisy Prius. The Nissan Altima Hybrid certainly does make some rather odd sounds, but overall the sound engineering is quite excellent.

Nissan engineering and design also shine in the Altima's super techy and racy interior. The blue-and-red neon lights inside the gauges make you feel like a race car driver and all of the buttons and power controls seems to be configured for deft ease of use. The Altima also has lots of controls built into the steering wheel as well as a host of luxury and tech-laden features with its connection package, which includes amenities such as leather seats, Bluetooth system, XM satellite radio and automatic headlamps.

HONDA CIVIC Si
Likes: Trendy sleek design and sloping hood, sporty interior
Dislikes: Not enough guts going into third and fourth gears
MSRP: $21,310 to $23,060
Fuel Economy Range: 32 mpg hwy, 23 mpg city

I was surprised at the subtle exterior shape of the four-door Honda Civic Si. I mean, from one angle it looks like your typical family sedan, but then you glance again and the Honda Civic shows its true colors as a truly trendy ride. The glossy black model I road tested recently prompted lots of looks, mostly from college-aged guys, with this Civic's sexy sloping hood and overall modern look.

With all of the Honda Civic's good looks, there's also the fuel efficient 2.0-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine, which garners 32 mpg highway and 23 mpg city, even while producing a strong 197 hp at a high-revving 7800 rpm. One of the gripes I had was how the transmission in the Honda Civic Si did not respond smoothly when shifting into third and fourth gears -- something that is surprising as Honda is known for smooth-shifting manual transmissions.

Inside, I enjoyed the Honda Civic's minimalist interior. The bubble-like information center in the dash just above the steering wheel is actually rather soothing and not at all distracting. The steering wheel has loads of built-in features and the overall interior design is pleasing and comfortable.

As always, I am not excited by Honda's navigation and entertainment system. While Honda's GPS system offers great functionality, I've used systems with better interface and graphics.

TOYOTA PRIUS
Likes: Zippy drive, good for commuter traffic, lots of top-notch technology
Dislikes: Over-the-top modern exterior design looks funky
MSRP: $20,950-$23,220
Fuel Economy Range: 51 mpg hwy. 60 mpg city

Toyota Prius, the No. 1-selling hybrid vehicle in the U.S. market, is certainly a fuel efficient car at an almost unbelievable 60 mpg city, but is it fun to drive? Absolutely.

Even with its engine's groans, squeaks and gurgling noises, the Prius still delivers exceptional acceleration and handling. The model I drove last spring had a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder, 16-valve hybrid synergy drive engine under its rather funny-looking hood.

Inside, the cabin of the Toyota Pruis is cozy and roomy with a high-tech information system on the dash and what I consider the auto industry's best in-dash, push-button multimedia system. What could be more fun than a way-cool multimedia system, right?

Now that's saving money and giving you more time for the pursuit of personal happiness.

MAZDA 3
Likes: Zoom-zoom drive, stylish interior, excellent gas mileage, affordable
Dislikes: Not much to dislike for the price
MSRP: $16,255
Fuel Economy Range: 32 mpg hwy, 24 mpg city

We recently chose Mazda3 as our top pick in a "Cheap New Cars" lineup. Starting at just $14,000, the Mazda3 has it all: a great drive, a stylish look, a small price tag -- and it gets a whopping 34 mpg hwy and 26 mpg city.

The silver 2008 Mazda3 i Sport 4-door we tested definitely had Mazda's trademark "zoom-zoom" drive with tight handling and suspension as well as above average acceleration and braking. And, this Mazda3 i Sport has just the right amount of straight lines and curves outside to make it stand out among all the Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas.

Far from looking cheap, the all-black interior on the 2008 Mazda3 i Sport 4-door reminded us of more expensive Audi interiors with three-dimensional gauges, nice quality plastics and soft touch materials, and red backlit controls and buttons. Burnished chrome accents also gave the interior an upscale, classy, sporty feel. A nice surprise was the addition of audio and cruise control buttons built into the steering wheel which is something usually found on more expensive vehicles.

CHEVY COBALT
Likes: Sporty good looks, great gas mileage
Dislikes: Sponge-like feel to manual transmission
MSRP: $13,710-$18,910
Fuel Economy Range: 34 mpg hwy, 25 mpg city

GM claims it has more models that get at least 30 mpg than any other manufacturer (23 models in 2007). And with Chevy's 2008 Cobalt getting 34 mpg hwy, GM now sports a refined small car at a good price with excellent gas mileage.

Even better, Chevy's 2008 Cobalt has a broad range of models offering everything from a cheap bare-bones version to more sporty and accessories-laden choices. We got lots of looks from college-aged guys when we rolled up in our Cobalt with its rear spoiler and overall stylish exterior in an eye-popping copper orange metallic color.

The Cobalt's 2.2-liter, four-cylinder, 145 hp engine is lackluster for speed demons with its rather slow acceleration, although this inexpensive ride still makes for a good get-around-town car.

The interior is definitely where the 2008 Chevy Cobalt shines as the inside is certainly comfortable, looks upscale and was designed with ease of use in mind. The white-faced gauges give the looks a more racy edge, which contrasts well with GM's signature minimalist and eye-pleasing central console.

FORD FOCUS
Likes: SYNC info-tainment system links your digital phone and/or music player to the car using voice commands, sporty interior package
Dislikes: Rather soft manual transmission
MSRP: $14,075-$16,375
Fuel Economy Range: 35 mpg hwy, 24 mpg city

The 2008 Ford Focus is highly fuel efficient at 35 mpg hwy, is pretty fun to drive and has some of the best new in-car tech toys in its SYNC info-tainment system. Going beyond just providing a digital auxiliary jack, Ford's SYNC has taken in-car technology to the next level. We tried it out with my teenager's iPhone and, within just a few minutes, we had uploaded her entire digital music collection and had figured out how to "sync" her iPhone using Sync's simple voice commands to control the music and phone, including her address book and ring tones.

While I thought the 2008 Focus we tested had a rather soft transmission but not enough pick up from first to second gears, my husband said he loved the "cushy" ride. Overall, Ford's 2008 Focus is a fun-to-drive sedan with tight handling, exceptional suspension and highly responsive braking.

The 2008 model's exterior definitely took cues from Ford's Fusion to create a more sporty feel to the outside with a new all-chrome grille, more flared wheel arches and a sweeping line toward the more beefy behind.

Inside, our 2-door coupe SE model with the deluxe package truly delivered a sumptuous and sporty feel. We loved the matte chrome and black textures, the white-faced gauges with racy red accents and the techy information bubble at eye level on the dash. The saddle-stitched seats and steering wheel (with lots of built-in control buttons) all bumped up the 2008 Ford Focus to a level of sporty luxury.

PORSCHE CAYMAN
Likes: True sports car engine feel and sound engineering
Dislikes: Too-small cockpit interior and little storage space
MSRP: $43,400-$93,700
Fuel Economy Range: 31 mpg hwy, 23 mpg city

With its rather hefty price tag starting at $43,000, were weren't sure the Porsche Cayman would fit into our fuel efficient cars list. But at 31 mpg highway and 23 mpg city, this two-seater beauty truly gets good gas mileage as well as the joy of its pure sports car heritage.

Like Porsche's Boxster, upon which this roadster was designed, the Cayman's engine is inherently fuel efficient by design with its six-cylinder, 2.7 liter, 245 hp engine and lightweight body technology.

Yes, the Cayman gets good gas mileage, but do you really care? Just looking at its curvy haunches, sexy sloping hood and racing rear spoiler make you want to get in and take it on a long road trip. Although the interior is cramped and there's little storage space, the throaty growl and rapid acceleration of this sexy beast makes your heart thump every time you race at Autobahn-like speeds down highways and freeways.

Think you can't afford a Porsche? The Cayman is actually Porsche's least expensive coupe, starting at just $43,000 or so for a racy ride and standard all-leather black interior. And at 31 mpg highway, the Porsche Cayman rides along for hundreds of miles without stopping for fuel.