Doing a list of the top ten new cars at Detroit seems like a somewhat unnecessary exercise as the ten most important reveals should be fairly obvious. Then we read the top ten list from Popular Mechanics and realized that maybe it wasn't obvious to everyone. While the list does hit on the obvious ones (Corvette ZR-1, Genesis and Audi R8 V12 TDI), the list manages to not only whiff on some of the show's biggest reveals, but also to miss ones you'd expect the editors of Popular Mechanics would want to highlight.

We think the new Fisker Karma is not only a big deal (Mark Fields showed up to see what was going on) but exactly the kind of car people flip to the front of Popular Mechanics to see. And how do you skip the Mazda Furai and in its place put not one, but two, of the fugly chrysler eco concepts with no clear explanation of how they're powered. While we absolutely love Popular Mechanics, we also salute you for throwing up a story that normally couldn't have come into existence without the use of a list and a dartboard. [Popular Mechanics]

12:45 PM on Thu Jan 17 2008
By Matt Hardigree
2,996 views
32 comments

Comments

combat chuck at 12:55 PM on 01/17/08
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Stupid top ten list
In Popular Mechanics
Old Media sucks

-
Woops, this isn't the haiku post. Sorry.
Mad_Science at 12:57 PM on 01/17/08
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Yeah, I had a subscription to Popular Mechanics for a while...but I can only see the 50th article on technologies that are "5-10 years away" so many times.
CEman at 12:58 PM on 01/17/08
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Most of them are not 'New' cars. They are concepts. Which, as we all know, have about as much chance at production as Jessica Simpson has at winning an Oscar.
mutedthud at 12:59 PM on 01/17/08
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Popular Mechanics gargles balls.
SeanKHotay at 01:01 PM on 01/17/08
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Popular Mechanics, the Motor Trend of the magazine world.

Oh, wait....
no_slushbox at 01:01 PM on 01/17/08
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They scooped you on the new breed of car-boats.
StuPidaso at 01:03 PM on 01/17/08
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i haven't picked up a Popular Mechanics in probably 15yrs. and from the looks of that cover it hasn't changed much.
$Image of Dr.Danger\'s got the beat$ Dr.Danger's got the beat at 01:03 PM on 01/17/08
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Hello Pop Mechanics, here is your bag of dicks.
SpeedWagon at 01:03 PM on 01/17/08
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Popular Mechanics is the Weekly World News for the car junkie.

BAT-BOY RULES!!!
arowsell at 01:09 PM on 01/17/08
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Is it just me or does the picture PM chose for the Hyundai Genesis make it look like gigantic? When I first saw the picture I thought it was the front of an SUV.
PeteJayhawk at 01:11 PM on 01/17/08
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Can we get Murilee to snap a couple shots of the next 1967 Flying Car he sees down on the streets of Alameda?
Novaload at 01:12 PM on 01/17/08
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@no_slushbox: Hey! There were carboats at Detroit?! And you guys missed that?
"Cars that drive on water." They needed that text because you wouldn't figure that part out from "CarBoats" and the picture. Not to be confused with BoatCars of course.
noliebro at 01:23 PM on 01/17/08
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Being an editor for Popular Mechanics is kind of like winning the special olympics....
cgarison at 01:23 PM on 01/17/08
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@PeteJayhawk: I think I saw that on the discovery channel.

I love the future. All of that stuff I dreamed about is not here yet I am. And I own a BOF Sedan.
Starlton Heston,... at 01:33 PM on 01/17/08
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man the writing... surprisingly seems to be aimed at uninformed readers/viewers... which I never knew was a characteristic of the PM audience
AndyDuncan at 01:37 PM on 01/17/08
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You could fill an entire blog just making fun of Popular Mechanics, but it really is like making fun of a retarded kid.
no_slushbox at 01:49 PM on 01/17/08
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@Novaload: I don't think car-boats were at Detroit, but someone at least drew a picture of a car-boat. If someone draws a picture of something with car in the name I want to hear about it first from Jalopnik, not Popular Mechanics.
charles_barrett at 01:52 PM on 01/17/08
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@PeteJayhawk: Nah, probably all the '67 Hiller Aerial Sedans have already gone to the crusher...
Novaload at 01:54 PM on 01/17/08
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@no_slushbox: Agreed!
skaz at 01:56 PM on 01/17/08
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@no_slushbox: One of the chinese had a carboat that looked like the weinermobile.
Schm is not... at 01:58 PM on 01/17/08
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Pretty stupid. Hummer, the 3 rediculous chrysler dream-jobs and the mitsu, uh, thing, have no right to be on the top 10 list.
mikedrawcar at 02:32 PM on 01/17/08
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you do have to feel sorry for a magazine that's been having the same dreams for 50 years. but i didn't think that anyone over 15 read these with any serious thought anymore. that's what Wired and Discover are for.
CARBOMB at 02:47 PM on 01/17/08
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@Schm: Exactly... it really is one of the worst lists ever. I think they had some intern just pick out what looked cool and ignored the rest.
Beluga at 04:12 PM on 01/17/08
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Popular Mechanics is meant to be read while waiting to get your hair cut.
dragoth at 04:22 PM on 01/17/08
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@PeteJayhawk: PM's red-headed stepchild, Popular Science, too.
Tomsk at 04:29 PM on 01/17/08
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Greenpeace should be demanding everyone and his mom boycott PM, considering how much paper they waste...
biminitwst at 05:19 PM on 01/17/08
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Car boats on the cover, and the Tang Hua Detroit Fish didn't make the cut for the top 10?
Huh? [jalopnik.com]
Smokescreen at 06:08 PM on 01/17/08
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@PeteJayhawk: '50s-era PMs are awesome. So much (misplaced) optimism!
usa1 at 06:42 PM on 01/17/08
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Yeah, doing a top 10 list is lame, like grading brands for their auto show presence.

[jalopnik.com]

Oops.
Matt Hardigree at 07:34 PM on 01/17/08
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@usa1: hahaha
ConnorW at 12:04 AM on 01/18/08
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Don't forget the "How To Cheat In The 24 Hour of LeMons And Not Get Caught" article. Oh wait, they forgot to write that one and got the biggest BS penalty of the race, then bitched and moaned worse than anybody I've seen at the three LeMons I ran last year.
Adamskiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy at 03:35 AM on 01/18/08
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I had a subscription to PM for a while, but dropped it as soon as I 'discovered' Popular Science. They actually explain technologies that are feasible/current, as opposed to unspecifically describing some new thing that looks great on paper. And I could do without a home improvement article every month on how to do ___________ with a $____ budget.