"Weekly Top 3: Megatrends for 2010" Edmunds Daily

Weekly Top 3: Megatrends for 2010

So we've been working on our 2010 Edmunds Buying Guide this week (the 2009 edition lives here), and it's been an eye-opening experience. There's truly something for everyone these days, from hemp-gnawing environmentalists to unrepentant gearheads. There's also a clairvoyant Edmunds editor who claims to know the future.

Accordingly, three automotive megatrends for 2010, coming right up.

3. V8s are hanging tough.
Wasn't long ago that the V8's imminent demise was being foretold. So much for that one, eh? Mercedes keeps refining its honking 6.2-liter AMG V8, most recently in the new SLS supercar. Ford's got a new 400-plus-horsepower V8 on the way that should make its Mustang and F-Series pickup even more competitive. GM lost the V8-powered Pontiac G8 GT and GXP, but it gained the Camaro SS, which basically shares the GXP's engine in manual-transmission form. Infiniti's got a pumped-up V8 under the hood of the new M56 sedan. Forget this noise about turbocharging, folks. Long live the great V8.

2. Hybrids are off the hook.
So we've got ourselves a brand-new Prius that's already infested the tony streets of LA's Westside. We've got the Lexus HS 250 for those who find the Prius a bit too salt-of-the-earth for their tastes. Mercedes-Benz is preparing its ML450 Hybrid SUV and S400 Hybrid super-luxury sedan. BMW reportedly has hybrid versions of its X6 and 7 Series in the works. That's in addition to the numerous hybrids already on the market, as well as others rumored to be making their way to production. For better or worse, the Hybrid Age is most definitely upon us.

1. Diesel is go.
It's barely been a year since the new 50-state-legal diesels made their debut, and there's already word from Volkswagen that its dealers can't keep Jetta TDIs on their shelves. Volkswagen also has the excellent Touareg TDI, and Audi now offers a diesel version of the A3 that shares the Jetta TDI's powertrain, joining the Q7 TDI in the Audi diesel lineup. BMW's got the best diesel powerplant in the business right now, and you can get all 425 pound-feet of it in either the 335d sedan or the X5 xDrive 35d SUV. Mercedes has the newly refreshed ML350 and GL350 BlueTEC SUVs, with an E-Class variant on the way next year. It's a veritable diesel revolution out there, and why not? A diesel gives you superior fuel economy, dump-truck torque, and a reputation for better durability than gas-powered engines.

So: three megatrends for 2010, signed and delivered. Don't tell your almanacs I didn't warn 'em.

Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor