Top 12 stories of 2012
From an infamous Texas house fire, to the death of one of the greats, autoweek.com's top-12 most read stories of 2012 offer a look back at a wild year.
This year while we tested some of the best enthusiast vehicles, ran around auto shows and spoke with automotive movers and shakers, we kept track of what piqued your interests.
What, you thought we weren't paying attention?
Without further ado, our top stories of 2012.
1. Official claims Fisker Karma to blame in Texas house fire
Texas authorities blamed a garage fire on the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan. In May, the driver told authorities that he pulled the Fisker into the garage and parked without plugging it in, and less than three minutes later the car was in flames. We were the first to report the news, and brought you photos of the obliterated Karma and garage. In August, a Karma caught fire in California, and in October a group of the plug-in hybrds caught fire at a New Jersey port after flooding from Hurricane Sandy.
2. 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1: Drive review
A supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that produces 580 hp made the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 one the most compelling cars to be released this year.
3. Diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee coming in 2013
In January, news broke that a diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee will be offered in the North American market for the first time since 2008. The diesel Jeep will arrive for the 2014 model year, and we expect to get all of the details at the Detroit auto show in January.
4. Redesigned 2013 Honda Accord aims to lead in safety, fuel economy
We got the first images of the redesigned 2013 Honda Accord sedan, along with a few additional details in August. Highlights of the redesign include an overall shorter length, new family of engines and continuously variable transmission.
5. Video shows race car flip from driver's view
A camera mounted on Doug Peterson's race car captured it flipping, and we brought readers the video. Luckily, Peterson wasn't injured.
6. 2013 Ford Mustang GT: Drive review
Hmm . . . do we see a trend in our top reviews? You pony-car lovers made our review of the 2013 Ford Mustang GT a top story in 2012. Our thoughts on the 'Stang in a nutshell? It's an “utter joy to wheel around in nearly any situation.”
7. 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek: Drive Review
Subaru hopes to appeal to adventurous urbanites with the 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek, which is basically a tall Impreza five-door. For this review we drove European models, including one with Subaru's 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel four-cylinder boxer. The car doesn't arrive in the United States until next fall as a 2013 model, and there are no immediate plans to bring the diesel over.
8. 2013 Honda Accord drive review
After a summer of receiving tidbits on the redesigned Honda Accord, we finally got behind the wheel. The 2013 Accord faces some tough competition amid redesigns of such competitors as the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima. We think the Accord will strike a chord with the many shoppers who will seek it for its fuel-efficiency and solid driving dynamics.
9. Stuntwoman walks moving tightrope in Volvo ad
World-famous tightrope walker Faith Dickey had us on the edge of our seats in a stunt for Volvo. Watch as she tightropes from one Volvo FH semi-tractor to the other, at speeds up to 80 mph. BAMF.
10. Carroll Shelby: 1923-2012
This May 15 obituary remembered the life of the legendary Carroll Shelby, who died May 10 in Dallas at the age of 89.
11. Next Ford Mustang to follow Evos concept, ditch retro styling, report says
Back to the pony cars: We learned this spring that the sixth-generation Ford Mustang will lose its retro-heavy styling theme and instead favor the Evos, the concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.
12. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette spied with C7 body!
We're weeks away from the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette reveal at the Detroit auto show, and this article marked our first glance. Lately, we have been privy to previews of the interior and exterior design. These initial photos show a quad exhaust in the rear, distinctive taillights and a prominent air intake in front.
