Just like the Phillies making it to the World Series again this past year, Automopedia returned to a snow-covered City of Brotherly Love to gasp at exotic cars at the 2010 Philly International Auto Show. Our second weekend at the 2010 Philadelphia Auto Show involved a blizzard, rude concession workers, and exotic cars. We’ll try to disregard the first two and focus more on the imports. There were many foreign auto makes representing the rest of our globe in Philadelphia, but one make really brought just about every vehicles they had to the show – Audi.

Seriously, from the TDI clean diesel, 2010 Green Car of the Year, The S4, the A5, A6, R8 and every other letter-number combination Audi has, the German make was taking up more space than most of the other “exotics” on the third floor at Philly’s Convention center. And what a good spot, as soon as you walk past those not-so-friendly concession workers.

Porsche, who also brought several models – including the all new GT3, Panamera and Updated 2010 Boxster – was sadly shoved in the back. Whether this was Porsche’s decision or they showed up too late at registration we aren’t sure. Another difference between these German auto makers was accessibility. Porsche had most of its vehicles, aside from Panamera, locked up tight. Audi was an open book…or in this case, an open car door. Maybe they felt jaded?

Land Rover & Jaguar also had a fair amount of vehicles, along with a couple Maserati coupes, a Rolls Royce Phantom (which was too big to fit into one photo) and …why yes, more Audi’s! When all was said and done the first blizzard of 2010 couldn’t keep Philadelphians home – they came out to see what makers had for net year, and to gaze at the vehicles some only dream they could afford.

We gave you our favorite tidbits concerning the past decade of auto industry success – now have a look back at the most disappointing happenings from 2000 – 2010. Just when you thought “ok, I’m safe from the top 10 best of lists of the 2000′s” you were only partially correct. It’s been a bad 10 years for America’s car companies, vehicle owners and everyone in between. We take a look back at some of Automopedia’s least favorite memories before we make it into 2010.

10. Gas Crisis 2.0

Those alive during the late 70′s hoped for no second gasoline crisis in The United States. Well, we did have one, of sorts. Drivers were capable of getting gas, but only if they were willing to pay. Prices soared upwards of $5, $6 and even $8 a gallon in some regions of America. And cost never went back down to quite what it once was – which means someone is still getting filthy rich.

9. Hummer H2 & H3

Yes, Hummer’s H2 was on our Best of the Decade list, but now it and sister car H3 are on our bottom 10. It was a shock when H2 made it onto dealer lots in the early 2000′s – and even more of a shock when H3 came out. Sure, it’s smaller than its predecessors, but gas mileage still ranks low for other SUV’s in the same class. Oh yeah, and even though Hummer is no longer an American make they’re still coming out with an H4…and H5. Yikes.

8. The Chevy Volt Dancers

I know this is recent, but come on – really GM?! One of what feels likes dozens of Chevrolet Volt reveals included a very, VERY poorly choreographed dance sequence, which has popped up all over the web and even Fox News/Good Morning America. Trust us, it’s bad enough to make it onto our list. They say there is no such thing as bad PR…

7. Dodge Challenger/Charger

Following the rebirth of Ford’s Mustang and a nostalgic turn in automotive design, Dodge, which totally dropped the ball when rebooting Charger, decided to revamp Challenger. Chrysler did good on design this time around, giving a 21st Century look to the 70′s muscle classic. Under the hood, however, you won’t get anything greater then a V6 or sloppy V8 from the local Dodge dealer. Anyone who wants a full package of speed/horse power needs to pay (a lot) extra for upgrades from Hurst, Shelby, etc.

6. Ending of America’s Auto Industry

Chrysler is now owned by Italian car maker Fiat – GM slashed most of its brands, and Ford is…well it’s still Ford. But they get away by the skin of their teeth – Pontiac, Saturn, and many others were not so fortunate.

5. Dealership Closures

Between 2008 and 2009 over 1000 car dealerships closed their doors in North America. Chrysler Dodge Jeep alone went with 789 closures, cutting tens of thousands of jobs. It was fallout from, well everything – the Big Three going down, no one buying cars, companies making cars no one wanted. It was a vicious cycle, that’s left many unemployed.

4. Rise of the SUV

It started in the 1990′s and continued well into 2000′s – Sport Utility Vehicles kept getting bigger and less fuel efficient. Ford brought us Excursion (pictured above, in a tripped out format), Jeep kept making oddly shaped off-road vehicles that college frat boys had their parents buy for ‘em. Once the Hybrid age came about, however, ‘Merica’s fascination waned on the SUV…well except in the Midwest.

3. Layoffs & Plant Closures

For ages, it was the working class who suffered from company buyouts and closures. It was witnessed over the past decade at dealership lots and even on the assembly line. Factories throughout the Rust Belt & East Coast saw vast reductions in manpower. But even the big wigs were not safe. Our public wanted blood from the highest level. Power players were making millions, even billions one day, running powerful automotive makers, and almost homeless the next.

2. PT Cruiser – Immortal Edition

When the PT Cruiser originally reared it’s ugly front end people cringed. The first time Chrysler said PT would be no more, everyone rejoiced! Then the second time they tried killing it, we were skeptical. And now it remains – PT Cruiser made it, with almost no design upgrade, through this past decade. I bet Chrysler’s PT Cruiser is immortal, and has inside it blood of kings (yeah!).

1. The Chevy Volt

GM’s great experiment, The Chevy Volt. Promoted as America’s All-Electric Vehicle. The Volt was a doll at car shows World Wide. But Chevrolet couldn’t get past the hype. Volt was finally revealed in a less than exciting form, looking like an updated Cobalt. It went from being dubbed all-electric to hybrid gasoline-electric. And now it still seems like a crap shoot if Volt will become popular enough to produce. You can have the regular internal combustion engine variant, Chevy Cruze, in 2010. I get the feeling Cruze will make it onto a similar list by 2019. Happy New Year!!

Checked out all the great automotive resources we have on our Blog Roll page? Well you should, we like promoting our friends – and if you feel the same way (and have an auto-related or just interesting blog) drop us a line: automopedia@gmail.com. Who knows, maybe you’ll make our list!

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The 44th President of the United States is Barack Obama. It was a glorious victory for African Americans and liberals alike. If anyone wanted to give 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. back to the Democrats it was the voters, and they did so last night. Obama came in strong with 324 Electoral Votes to McCain’s 147. The Illinois senator won Ohio, PA and Virginia – battleground states each candidate needed to secure victory.

But President Elect Obama has some hefty shoes to fill – the economy is in a downward spiral, jobs are being cut everywhere, especially in the automotive manufacturing plants of America’s Midwest. Gas prices are coming down, but still not at the rates we’re accustomed to paying. Obama said he will create jobs – and now more than ever do many states, including those battlegrounds of Ohio and Pennsylvania, need employment. Or are the massive car giants already too far gone? Will dealerships continue to combine or disappear from the face of the earth? Will a new tax plan help or hurt factories and dealer lots? Today, the democratic party and Obama can celebrate, they deserve it. On January 20th, 2009 a four year upward battle will begin. “Baptism by fire.”

What does someone use when they need to buff a Lamborghini or Enzo? Try this special Brazilian car wax, which costs 6,000 pounds (roughly $10,00 USD). There are only two containers of it in the United Kingdom – when combined with special de-greasers and clay sponges, which pick up microscopic particles of dirt, you are guaranteed the best auto body shine of your car’s life.

When French auto maker Peugeot holds a design competition, you can guarantee the results will be astounding, beautiful and quite experimental. This year’s winner is right on the money; check out the release of Peugeot concept drawings of their “RC” vehicle.

This award winning design was submitted by 25-year-old Columbian designer Carlos Arturo Torres Tovar at the Paris Motor Show. His entry topped the polls with internet voters and impressed judges. The “RD” is a three-wheel, one seat city vehicle – half car, half motorcycle. The car will now become a 1:1 scale design to be shown at April 2009′s Shanghai Motor Show.