A lot changed in the auto industry this year. Cadillac suddenly became a relevant brand again, and now Ford is trying to do the same with Lincoln.
Fuel efficiency continued to be the big theme. Prius sales skyrocketed, and Chevy's Volt became the most loved and hated car of the year.
Even Ferrari and Land Rover looked to boost their cars' mile per gallon figures.
From the Porsche that can drive more than 700 miles on a single tank to the electric Tesla that can compete with any vehicle on the market, these 17 innovative cars may not be the best on the road, but they are the ones that are changing the game.
17. Toyota wooed city dwellers with the Prius c and its terrific city mileage
Even compared to other Prii (the official pluralization of Prius), the Prius c is small and fuel-efficient.
In city driving, it gets 53 mpg. It's good on the highway, too, with 46 mpg.
The result is a car that dealers can't keep in the lot: In April, the average 2012 c spent just eight days at the dealership before being bought. The average for all cars is 53 days.
16. Jaguar returned to the sports car market with a splash
In 1961, Jaguar changed the sports car forever with the iconic E-Type (and we almost died of happiness when we got to drive one).
At this year's Paris Motor Show, Jaguar finally unveiled its successor, the F-Type.
Starting at $69,000, it's not as absurdly sexy as the E-Type, but it is a solid 21st century update.
The most powerful model can hit 186 mph. It's hard not to look good at that speed.
15. Lincoln returned to the spotlight with the new MKZ
Earlier this month, Ford officially relaunched its luxury brand as Lincoln Motor Company, bringing Emmit Smith and the 2013 MKZ to Lincoln Center.
The plan to get Lincoln out of eighth place in the luxury market includes a Super Bowl spot with Jimmy Fallon, but the MKZ will have to do the heavy lifting.
Despite a small but serious flaw in the design, it is a good-looking car packed with features, most notably a retracting panoramic roof that covers 15 square feet.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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