There are many great posts on all the funny, entertaining, and thought-provoking Ads from Super Bowl XLVI. Now, we’re looking at the worst. What does it take to be a “bad” advertisement? There is no such thing as negative PR, after all.

These spots were either recycled, annoying, or dull. Many will argue that 2012 Super Bowl commercials were boring all around. Check out what we think, and give us some feedback!

Ford Recycles Derek Jeter Mustang Spot

We are extra disappointed with Ford at their 8-month-old Mustang ad, featuring Yankee all-star Derek Jeter. This commercial originally aired during baseball season. Its music was changed for Super Bowl time (the original above uses ‘Empire State of Mind’ by Jay-Z) but it’s still same old, same old.

Suzuki ‘Sled’ With 50 Cent

You know the old sitcom formula; wife puts up with dopey, out of shape husband. This is the theme for Suzuki’s ‘Sled’ ad. What really let us down was the fact that no one at Automopedia can recall actually seeing the commercial during The Big Game…did it even air?

The VW Dog Commercial, Segment 1

The second half of Volkswagen’s Dog spot from the Super Bowl was great, mostly because it was a huge Star Wars reference. But the first part was a bit dull and cheesy. The dog was cute, however, but so were the pups from Suzuki’s ad.

Camaro As A College Graduation Present

One word: Annoying. A douchie, fair-haired college kid screams for 30 seconds about the less-than-exciting Chevrolet Camaro.

Cars.com “Cancerous Growth” Spot

When someone on Twitter (if I remembered who I’d give them credit) said they didn’t understand Cars.com’s “cancerous growth” ad, it made us laugh. That was, in fast, the only part of this really weird and poorly CGI’ed commercial we found humorous.

It seems like there were more car ads during Super Bowl XLVI than commercials for any other products. Both foreign and domestic auto makers shelled out millions for the 2012 Big Game. In fact, according to Kantar Media, a record $77.5M was spent on spots this year.

Hyundai had the most, was it four or five separate ads? But did they have the most entertaining? Let us know what you think, and watch our list below.

10. Cadillac ATS Goes To Green Hell

Honestly, knowing an “All-American-Made” luxury vehicle went to Germany for testing seems a bit… Un-American. But this ad, featuring the new ATS sports sedan, really caught our attention. Great shots of the test car flying over asphalt are stunning, as is the name ‘Green Hell.’

9. BMW 2-Series’s Heated Steering Wheel

You’ve all been there, trying in desperation to stay warm on a February night while the car heats up. Luckily, if you can actually afford to own a BMW, the updated 3-Series will heat its steering wheel immediately. We await mass recalls from owners who report second degree burns on their palms.

8. Kia Optima – Tommy Lee Sells Out

Some feel owning a Kia is just like a dream. Others would say Optima is more like a nightmare. Sure, Kia is shedding its negative persona but still has a way to go. Optima hybrid is one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road today, so that should help. Motley Crue shows up in this ad, guess they need the money.

7. Fiat 500′s Sexually Explicit & Awkward Ad

Fiat’s spot for the Abarth 500 is smart, witty, sexy, slightly inappropriate for a game children are probably watching, and proves the stereotype that some people want to have sex with cars. We dig it. Too bad Fiat sales are down immensely, and the car has received terrible safety ratings.

6. Toyota Camry – Reinvention

This was one of two Camry commercials from Super Bowl 46, but without a doubt a personal favorite. Who wouldn’t mind being pulled over more if the officer gave massages? Or would love having a time-traveling baby who didn’t poop? The all new Camry from Toyota is pretty snazzy too.

5. Chrysler – Clint Eastwood’s Long Detroit Rant

“It’s halftime in America” according to Clint ‘Dirty Harry’ Eastwood. Some found this ad breathtaking and thought provoking. Others found it long and depressing. But we guarantee it’ll be one of the top most discussed Super Bowl commercials this year.

4. Audi Quattro – The White Whale

How can you not love a Moby Dick reference? Audi does Quattro the honor of comparing it to the classic White Whale, with Ahab as a grouchy tow truck driver, always a step behind from this German sedan.

3. Chevrolet Apocalypse Survivors

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and as long as we have a Chevy pickup, we’ll be fine. The spot is great dig at Ford, and perfect use of shocking post-destruction imagery with a really chill soundtrack. Oh, and there’s Twinkies!

2. Jerry Seinfeld Wants An Acura NSX

Jerry Seinfel has to bribe his way into the first Acura NSX, and brings along Soup Nazi and an alien. But will Jay Leno get away with last minute trickery?

1. Volkswagen’s Empire Strikes Back

Volkswagen knows how to produce an attention grabbing Super Bowl commercial. Last year’s Star Wars ad was a smash hit. This year, it’s an Empire Strikes Back take on the newly redesigned Beetle (but you have to wait for it).

Honorable Mention: Honda’s Day Off With Matthew Broderick

Ferris Bueller, err… I mean, Mathew Broderick teases his classic ‘Day Off’ film in this Super Bowl ad for the 2012 Honda CR-V. We didn’t put this in the Top 10, because frankly it stands out as the best for execution, and worst for ruining a favorite coming of age comedy for everyone.

Auto critics have chosen their Cars for 2011, along with models they believe will be great buys in 2012. Now, it’s Automopedia’s turn.

2011 was an interesting and inspiring year for the automotive industry. Jobs are coming back to The Motor City, profits are rising in America for the first time since 2008, and companies merged, died, killed old models, and welcomed new. We look back at 2011′s best, followed by a few picks for this coming year.

Why is this traffic cone monster the main photo for our blog post? No reason.

Best of 2011:

5. Fiat 500
Love it or hate it, Fiat is here (again) to stay. American audiences were excited to see a return of the tiny Fiat 500. Those same audiences were not very surprised that Fiat is not selling well. After an expensive commercial broadcast campaign starring Jenny from the Block, sales tanked in various markets (with the exclusion of NYC and Los Angeles). According to NHTSA crash test results, Fiat 500 scored a three-star rating, which is a very poor one. Many wonder if 500 will last in The USA.

4. Honda Insight
Insight is Honda’s response to Toyota’s Prius. With a body pretty much identical to Prius (and Volt, frankly) Insight was canned for cheap materials and large blind spots when it first arrived on dealer lots. What do you expect for a base price under $19,000? In 2011, these critical errors were answered. Insight was constructed better, with smaller rear blockage and a little more of a unique front end. We see good things for the Honda Hybrid going forward.

3. Ford Ranger
Ranger was Ford’s crowing achievement in small pickup trucks. Around for decades, the auto maker decided to discontinue the vehicle (for only North America) due to slow sales, as well as rising love for the larger, but still fuel efficient F-150. Personally, Automopedia loved all variants of the utilitarian friendly Ranger, and we are sad to see it go.

2. Porsche Panamera
The first “mainstream” Porsche vehicle ever. Bringing German luxury and performance to the everyday All-American family. Four-door Panamera received top honors again during 2011, and paves the way for what Porsche execs call an “economically friendly” line of vehicles, including Cayenne and Cajun. Porsche once the car of fantasy, one day soon it could be your commuting reality.

1. Chevrolet Volt
Boy, people can’t seem to stop talking about Chevy Volt EV. But it’s not all good news. Obama and his administration continually praise the hybrid electric sedan for green tech and miles per gallon. Then again, his administration is a major shareholder in General Motors, thanks to the bail out. So of COURSE they want to talk highly of it, and pray that these electric fires / burning down of owners’ homes is something that will not continue. Volt is #1 on our list not only for being a marvel of American automotive engineering, but for causing the most news reports, and joke slogans featuring “lightening” and “fire” throughout 2011.

Who Will be Tops in 2012:

5. Dodge Durango
It was an initial redesign made by the new Fiat-owned Chrysler & Dodge. Featuring a revised cross-hair grill, Durango hopes to bring SUVs back into popularity. That may not be so difficult: Dodge gave base Durango models a competitive starting price, as well as superb MPG ratings (23 highway!), a slew of standard luxury items, their Pentastar engine (producing 290 HP and traveling 550 miles per tank), and towing caps of 6200 lbs on V6, 7400 lbs in V8.

4. Acura NSX
At the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Acura surprised everyone in attendance with a revival of their 90′s classic NSX. This Next-Gen version will be a sleek model, powered by mid-engine mounted hybrid V6. We really hope Acura goes ahead with plans to start production soon.

3. Cadillac ATS
This model will hopefully drop onto dealer lots in late 2012 (for the 213 model year). The GM brand is cashing it all in on smaller, sportier vehicles like ATS. Its 2.5-liter four-cylinder is rated at 200 HP, with a turbocharged, direct-injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder hitting 270. This should bring in a younger audience, depending on cost, of course.

2. Toyota Prius Family
Prius C is one of several vehicles Toyota will introduce in 2012 and 2013. Already out there is Prius V, basically a minivan trim of the popular and long running hybrid. Prius C is a more compact version, similar to Honda’s Fit (which has a hybrid overseas, but not in America). Base price for C is also under $19,000. Good, very good in fact, for a car with projected EPA fuel economy of 53 mpg city, 46 mpg highway.

1. Ford Fusion Hybrid / Plug-In
Another model for 2013, Fusion will be out later this year. It was the doll of NAIAS displays, attracting positive feedback from fans and press alike. A 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will power base trims, making 179 HP and 26 city, 37 highway MPG. Fusion Hybrid receives a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder, with electric motor and new lithium-ion battery pack. Expected to grab 47 city and 44 highway, Fusion is destined to have buyers stopping at Ford lots.

The Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, another popular draw from 2012 NAIAS, is aimed at getting over 100 MPGe.

Source: Edmunds | Chryslerpedia | Fordpedia

There were many impressive concepts unveiled at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, these are Automopedia’s 5 favorites:

1. 2013 Dodge Dart – Resurrection

Based off Fiat’s Compact US Wide body (CUS-wide), the 2013 Dodge Dart took many of us by surprise. Instead of dropping teasers months before Detroit’s annual show, Chrysler Group kept their rebirth of the Dart nameplate pretty secret until about one month before NAIAS. Its sleek design borrows from the soon-deceased Avenger (up front) and Charger (rear end). The auto maker believes its appeal will range “…from millennials, young professionals likely buying their first car, to empty-nesters, those with active lifestyles who appreciate good value but don’t want to sacrifice quality and amenities in their choice of vehicle.”

Dart receives three separate four-cylinder engines: A 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 160-horsepower, a 160-horsepower 1.4-liter turbo, and 2.4-liter 184-horsepower. Chrysler adds that Dart “offers a special blend of style, performance and innovation.”

2. The SMART For-Us

Smart For-Us wants you to rethink the pickup truck, by shrinking it… A LOT. Comedian Jon Lovitz introduced Smart’s pickup concept at the press conference. Maybe we’re not supposed to take it seriously.

This electric SMARTCAR comes standard with a 55-kilowatt magnetoelectric motor. For-Us has the potential to hit 80 mph, while hailing practically nothing in its three foot tailgate.

3. Acura NSX – The Return

A second surprise appearance at 2012 NAIAS is Acura’s NSX Concept, another call back to the 1980′s and early 1990′s sports car. Available in both rear wheel drive and all wheel drive, NSX (which the Japanese auto maker hopes to premier by late 2014, as a 2015 model) will be powered by hybrid gas-electric motors.

The mid-engine V6 and new SH-AWD system, “uses the gasoline engine to power the rear wheels and provide juice for the two electric motors mounted up front.”

4. Ford Focus Energi – Possibly The World’s Greenest Ride

Ford calls it the “world’s most efficient mid-size sedan” – given its size and performance, Focus Energi could very well be the perfect introduction to EV vehicles becoming everyday drives, and not someone’s novelty car.

2013 Ford Focus Energi plug-in hybrid comes with an EPA mileage of over 100 MPGe (equivalent). Energi uses a 2.0-liter Atksinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, the same as Fusion Electric Concept.

5. 2013 MINCOLN MKZ – The Auto Maker’s Savior?

“This is what the future of Lincoln looks like,” according to brand design director Max Wolff. MKZ concept gives us a hint as to what the production 2013 MKZ sedan will look like. Ranging in prices starting at the mid-$30,000′s – LINCOLN (who insist on spelling it annoyingly in all caps) hope to appeal to young drivers, while shedding their design link to parent company Ford.

Honestly, we don’t see how this vehicle will save LINCOLN. Prove us wrong fellas.

Images: Jalopnik | Motor Authority

Welcome to the Best of Automopedia 2011! It was a year for protesting, and great losses in the design and automotive world. We said goodbye to auto makers, to vehicle franchises, and car fanatics.

It was also the year of incredible triumph – green cars are now the norm, and well priced automobiles are not only affordable, they’re made WELL.

Technology advanced to a point where 2011 might be remembered as the first year of the driverless vehicle. Take a trip down blog post memory lane, as we round up the best, oddest, and strangest stories of 2011.

Tech 2011:

Google’s Self-Driving Toyota Prius

Google spent 2011 working on their version of Knight Rider’s KITT. But instead of a gas-guzzling ’82 Trans Am, G+ used a Toyota Prius. Aside from a few glitches, including the self-driving Prius crashing into a utility truck, all seemed to go well.

In fact, the Google self-driving vehicle has received an official patent from the federal government. Next step – making driverless cars legal in the state of Nevada!

The New Gas Mileage Window Stickers

If you dropped in onto a car lot in 2011, you might have noticed something different slapped on vehicle windows. The EPA is attempting to update new car window sticker info – which gives you MPG ratings up front.

Close Calls of 2011:

Semi (Almost) Takes Out Driver

This is the perfect marketing pitch for having in-dash cameras installed on all vehicles.

The Bad Habits of Drivers and Cyclists

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

This year was rough on cyclists – as biking becomes increasingly popular on both coasts, the City of new York attempted to pass harder restrictions on those riding two-wheels. But not everyone on a bike is perfect, the same goes for drivers who do not wish to share the road.

2011 Nostalgia:

Electric DeLorean DMC-12 Coming 2013

DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) announced plans to re-release the 1982 DMC-12 as an all-electric 2013 model – Priced at $90,000 – 100,000 a piece.

Centuries Old Ship Found Under WTC

A 30-foot wooden hulled vessel was discovered about 20 to 30 feet below the World Trade Center site earlier this year. This is the first large-scale archaeological find along the Manhattan waterfront since 1982.

Vintage 1920’s Subway Train Runs Under NYC

To celebrate the second season of TV’s Boardwalk Empire (which was AWESOME), HBO contracted a vintage 1920′s subway train to “run on Saturdays and Sundays…from 12 to 6 pm, stopping at the 96th, 72nd, and Times Square-42nd st stations.”

Indie Rock and Auto Ads

In today’s world of Internet Piracy, alt and indie rock groups have to “sell out” to survive. In doing so, many great musicians have lent their music to the background of car commercials.

Who and What We Lost in 2011:

Creator of Hot Wheels Dies at 95

Hot Wheels creator Elliot Handler passed away in 2011, at the age of 95. He is half of the team that founded Mattel in 1945, along with wife Ruth and Mattel co-founder Harold Matson. The multi-billion dollar company employs more than 30,000 people.

Mercury is Gone, with Ford Ranger and Saab

Technically, this happened in 2010 (when Ford officially announced the end of their Mercury line-up). However, 2011 models were the final round for this American car company. Sure, they were mostly rebranded Fords, but they were luxurious, and during previous decades, made some of the most iconic sedans and muscle cars on the roads. So long, sweet Mercury, we are poorer for losing you.

2011 also saw the end of Ford Ranger, which will continue to sell overseas, but not in the big-truck-loving land of North America. And just this past month, Saab finally stated their assets will be liquidated.

The Shameful of 2011:

Chrysler Factory Employees Drinking, Drugging, Working

If you worked for the American auto industry wouldn’t you want to be drunk every day?

Random New Car Fires

Dodge wanted some free promotion of their new Durango – and they got it…hmm, this might not have been what they wanted. Several Chevrolet Volt spontaneous fires were also reported in 2011 – causing GM to rename their hybrid “Chevy Fire.”

Worst Hybrids on the Market

From all at Automopedia – Have a Safe & Happy Holiday! Drive (or bike) carefully, and See you in 2012!

This guy narrowly misses colliding with a jackknifed truck, and it’s all caught on video!

Every so often, we like to post video of insane car and truck crashes. This one might just take the cake:

Source: WCF

We recently informed readers of a rail concept, which connects high speed trains together while in motion, called Moving Platforms. This insane idea might take off in Japan or China, but you won’t see it on US-soil anytime soon.

Not because it’s far too dangerous and still in R&D stages, but because it seems like America is not getting a high speed rail system.

President Obama was spearheading a move towards high speed rail roads. In fact, workers under the Commander in Chief planned out full routes for the $8 billion dollar HSR to take (see photo below).

“Two weeks ago,” as Treehugger tells us, “Congress voted to strip most of that funding from the budget, leaving only a few projects to continue.”

“Rather than focus on the few corridors that need high-speed rail lines the most,” Salon.com writes, “the Obama administration doled out half a billion here and half a billion there, a strategy better-suited to currying political support than to addressing real infrastructure problems.”

$8 billion dollars seems like a lot of money (it is), however, it probably wasn’t enough to get all the routes underway. But it was a start. Rail lines would connect people and businesses to the far reaches of the south – in states like Florida, where the economy is suffering greatly. Another line would launch money to The Rust Belt for the first time in decades. Basically, connecting these places would only help bring improvement to areas that are currently, in simple terms, a pain to get to.

Why didn’t the HSR in America work out? “It comes down to politics,” adds Treehugger. “The Obama whose administration that devised the scheme for the initial rail corridors–which run primarily through red and swing states–was the Obama who still genuinely believed that he could usher in an era of bipartisan cooperation.”

“With the help of the Tea Party, they adopted the message that government spending should be our primary concern, not economic recovery.”

Source: Treehugger

This video shows Joint Venture’s specialized race truck hitting 217 mph in 2010. Years prior, the 1997 Freightliner created its own world record.

Measuring 1,472 cubic-inches, the Detroit diesel quad-turbocharged / twin-supercharged sixteen-cylinder engine inside the semi produces an outstanding 4500 horsepower.

The original world record was recorded at Bonneville Salt Flats in 2006, where the same team was named “The World’s Fastest Modified Diesel Truck” thanks to a speed of 228.804 mph.

You need someone special to ‘pilot’ a vehicle of this mass and power – so Lockheed-Martin flight test engineer Mark Zwieg has been in the cab for each adventure, which measure 3.3 miles per minute across the desert landscape.

Source: Motor Authority

Racer Katherine Legge wants to follow in the steps of Danica Patrick and join an American IndyCar team. But that’s not to say comparing these two goes any further than their gender. Legge has made a name for herself as the Audi factory driver in German Touring Car racing. But the young star has been seen chatting it up with US-based IndyCar officials.

“If getting a ride was based on how much you want it,” Legge said in a recent interview, “I would already be driving an Indy car. I believe in myself and the people I surround myself with, and I am sure it will all come together soon.”

Wife of Champ Car team owner Morris Nunn, Kathryn Nunn, was at one point attempting to put together the “Firestone Indy Lights” team of female drivers. She organized an event at Texas Motor Speedway, inviting six female race car drivers to show up. Eventually, the all-woman Indy team did not come together.

Legge is no stranger to American racing. She finished successful races at the Toyota Atlantic Championship, as well as The Champ Car World Series against Danica Patrick.

Source: Motor Authority

It’s been a rough year for auto makers in Japan. First, an earthquake and tsunami took out facilities for Toyota and Subaru. Just when these and other Japanese companies were getting back to 100%, another devastating flood in Thailand has destroyed hundreds of thousands of vehicles. It’s a second big blow to these struggling car companies.

In fact, all 9 Japanese car makers shut down their Thai assembly plants. 8 of them closed due to component shortages, showing again that parts suppliers are a critical link in the production chain.

According to reports, the closing of parts maker Aisin Seiki’s plant “could result in a parts shortage that brings engine production to a standstill, impacting Toyota’s output of pickup trucks and other vehicles in Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries nearby.”

Nissan also builds their subcompact in Indonesia with parts shipped from Thailand. According to Reuters, 360,000 cars could end up missing when all is said and done.

Source: Reuters | TTAC