While strolling around the "Pacific Auto Show" media preview with a young lady journalist she offered a rather telling remark. "So many cars, so many makes, so many styles! It confuses me and I'm an expert. What must it do to the consumers?" I was in complete agreement and wondered why manufacturers feel the need to be constantly inventing new segments and adding new models. One automaker, for example, boasted of creating 27 new models in 24 months. Others seem determined to match anything new with a similar vehicle of their own. Consequently a "mid-size crossover" begets a half dozen copycats, and utterly forgettable model names proliferate like pine beetles. In the simpler times we classic car enthusiasts fondly remember, minor annual styling changes with a major alteration every three years were enough to create plenty of excitement and model names were just that- names we could remember. Here's a little quiz to emphasise the point: In 20-seconds identify which companies make the following 2007 models: "C-30", "Q7", "QX56", "C350", "HHR", "XK", "MKZ", "CTS", "IS350". (Click on links for answers.)

Mel Satok photo