Perhaps not unsurprisingly, Hyundai Motor Co with their lineup of comparatively inexpensive cars was #1 in November for car sales in America.  Sales were actually up 46%, so this is also a good sign for the overall economy with buyers re-entering dealerships and buying.

There was a 93% increase in sales of the Hyundai Accent, a compact car, and a 52% increase for the Hyundai Sonata, a sedan.

Kia, which is owned by Hyundai, also saw an 18% increase.

Are we experiencing a gradual shift towards Korean cars being the go-to value car over Japanese cars?  It’s hard to tell, but Hyundai’s industry-leading warranty and strong improvement in reliability is a good sign for buyers regardless.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe and its later iterations may very well become the next Toyota Celica:

A sad day in automotive history for sure.  The proposed sale of the Saab brand from GM to Koenigsegg, a niche sports car manufacturer from Sweden, has fallen through amidst funding difficulties.

Will a new buyer step up to the plate or is this RIP for Saab, an iconic Swedish brand that has been producing cars in Trollhattan since 1949?  Analysts say it’s possible for another buyer to show up at this stage, but a long shot.

The new BMW 5-series is a fantastic-looking, high-performance car, and the largest 5-series BMW has ever built.  Now in its sixth generation, the 2010 5-series has new, sleeker lines and a more aggressive front showing off the trademark BMW split grill.

What’s under the hood?  The BMW 535i sports a turbocharged 300 horsepower 3.0 liter inline six-cylinder engine.  The higher-priced 550i boasts a twin-turbo 400 horsepower 4.4L V8 engine.  Automatic transmission available on both, optional six-speed manual available on the 535i.  We’re salivating over the prospect of the new M5, but to date, BMW has not released any details.

Compact cars have come a long way in America.  Originally relegated to ‘econobox’  status, today compacts have dramatically improved build quality and make up a sizable portion of the market.  Here are our picks:

2010 Honda Civic

The Civic is the classic compact car. Excellent gas mileage, basic amenities, and decent looks. The one drawback? Its engine is relatively underpowered…you may not feel as confident getting onto a highway with a Civic as you would in other cars. That’s the trade-off for getting 37 miles per gallon.

2010 Mazda 3

The Mazda3 is a great little car with much, much better handling than other compacts. It’s safe, sporty, and you can add lots of options (like leather, Bose sound, etc.) to give it features not normally found in cars of this class. Unfortunately, the new design with its smiley faced grill is…divisive, to say the least.

2010 Ford Focus

In recent decades, the Japanese have dominated the compact car market with their affordable, reliable vehicles that consumers loved.  Ford, however, has dramatically improved reliability and function in the past few years, and the new Ford Focus is the result of that.  Catering to the Gen X/Gen Y demographic, you can get the new Focus with a Pet Package, a Sports Package, an Express Yourself Package (groan), a Friends Package, and the Professional Package, thus continuing the long history of American carmakers to offer insane amount of options and packages.  We like the Focus though, it’s a great little car.

2010 Toyota Corolla

If you’ve been to a mall parking lot, you’ve seen the Toyota Corolla.  Worldwide, one Corolla is sold about every 40 seconds.  Now in its tenth generation, the Corolla is a ubiquitous compact noted for its safety.  You can’t go wrong with this incredibly reliable compact.

Our Pick

It’s a tough call because these are all solid, reliable vehicles, but we have to choose the Civic, with the Focus coming in second.  The Civic and Focus represent the best compromise between the other cars (Mazda3 for performance, Corolla for safety), however we prefer the design of the Civic and Honda’s reputation for reliability.