All eyes on the road ahead for the auto industry
 

So that’s it – 2011 is done and 2012 looms.

What’s ahead for the year in cars? A lot. But first, a few quick highlights of 2011:

-It was a year during which Honda and Toyota struggled, really struggled, for the first time in decades;

- Ford remained the No. 1 car company by sales in Canada and, in the big picture, announced the return of the company dividend;

-Chrysler posted a jump in sales that no one could have predicted, driven largely by upgraded products and enticing deals, and at least for now has become the dominant partner in the alliance with Italy’s Fiat;

-BMW and Mercedes-Benz duked it out to the end for the title of King of Luxury Car Sales in Canada and Audi and BMW are in a worldwide battle royal;

-Hyundai established itself as a world-class player in the car game, period, with hugely successful models such as the reinvented Elantra and Accent small cars;

-General Motors has a pile of cash and renewed mojo, but sales in Canada were disappointing on too many fronts;

-Volkswagen had a record year in Canada thanks to the success of its brilliant diesel lineup, the down-market Jetta compact whose success baffles know-it-all car critics, and the reinvented Passat mid-size car designed and built specifically for North Americans;

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