Have you ever noticed that the car model you owned in the past has grown in size, in weight, and in displacement? This phenomenon affects almost every car line from BMW to Honda, with a few exceptions.

Remember when the name Honda was synonymous with lightweight, economical cars? The company established itself in the United States in 1970 with the N600, a small four-seater. It hit pay dirt with the introduction of the larger 1973 Honda Civic, a car that was light and fuel efficient yet could fit four adults in modest comfort. Honda sold many first-generation Civics during its seven-year run, as the car was just what Americans needed during the first OPEC oil embargo.

During subsequent redesigns, Honda offered more Civic models. What had been just a two-door truncated sedan became a three-door hatchback, a formal four-door sedan, even a five-door wagon. Engine size increased as well, growing from a 1.3-liter four-cylinder to a 2.5-liter–although you have to give Honda credit, because the engines were still relatively miserly in terms of fuel usage.

Cash for Clunkers is over and the Government and many dealers proclaim it as an overwhelming success. But at what cost? Here is a list of rather unusual and possibly valuable cars that were sacrificed during the program; a few that will make the car enthusiasts among us cringe.

According to the list published on September 9th by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there were a number of questions raised when scanning through the document. To be eligible for the Cash for Clunkers program, eligible vehicles were specified to only get 19 miles-per-gallon or less measured by their previously published EPA rating. Yet a few vehicles that were submitted generally get better fuel mileage than the benchmark set by the program rules. For example, there were a number of four-cylinder BMW 318i models that based on their EPA numbers would seem to be ineligible for the program. Other vehicles fall into this same category, vehicles like the Acura 2.2 CLs, one Silverado Hybrid Pickup (who would trade in a virtually brand new hybrid?), a Chrysler PT Cruiser, a Dodge Aries, a 1998 Dodge Neon, a 1993 Ford Escort, a two-wheel-drive Geo Tracker, a Honda CRX, a Hyundai Accent as well as an Elantra, three Infiniti G20s, two Nissan 200SXs, a 2008 Altima Coupe, a 1990 Nissan Stanza, three Plymouth Breezes, a Saturn Ion, as well as a Saturn SL. And here's the biggest surprise of all, someone traded in a Scion xD. What were they thinking?

What started out as a division with a cult-like following ended up another irrelevant brand within the GM hierarchy. This is the story of how GM fumbled a golden opportunity to reinvent itself over the last 20+ years.

Almost twenty years ago, a new division was launched within the behemoth General Motors empire, and its purpose was to bring back disenfranchised buyers who refused to shop at Chevy, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Buick dealerships. The division was named Saturn, and it was going to be run differently than any other GM division. The premise of the Saturn brand was very simple, they did not share anything with GM; the cars were exclusively Saturn, the power train was exclusively Saturn, the manufacturing plant was exclusively Saturn, and the dealerships were stand alone Saturn stores. You could not find one GM logo connected to the entire brand when it was launched, right down to the keys. But one thing that stood out in the consumers mind was how they were treated at the dealerships with its no-haggle pricing policy and low pressure sales tactics. So how did a division with so much promise become the also ran within GM in less than 20 years?

Of all of GM's remaining brands, Cadillac is possibly best positioned for ultimate success. Our Jim Brennan has some ideas on how Cadillac can again be the Standard of the World.

General Motors underwent an unprecedented "engineered" bankruptcy this summer. As it is sheds divisions right and left, historic nameplates are being discarded and the company that once had over 50% of the new car market has lost the recipe. So what's to become of Cadillac in the future? It needs to compete with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Bentley, and the relatively new upstart from Japan, Lexus. This particular commercial is a great start, but you really can't run a luxury division with three body styles of what are essentially the same car, and an upscale clone of a Chevrolet crossover. The two-seat XLR sports car has been discontinued, as will the STS and the DTS. The Escalade will live on though as pointless as it may be seen by many because America can't seem to get enough of these rolling excesses. It has, over the last decade, been a very successful product in terms of sales for what was once the Standard of the World. But does it send the right message?