As the calendar dwindles down to its last page for the year, it’s time for me to reflect on my favorite test drives. 

The new year is upon us, and many of us make resolutions. I make them, but rarely keep them, especially if they involve great scotch, fine clothes, or fast cars.
I’ve thought about the new year quite a lot. I have the time: a typical test drive of a new car model will range anywhere from 300 to 1,200 miles. That creates a lot of time to ponder things while behind the wheel.

The images we have of ol’ St. Nick always find him piloting a sleigh.
Get real.
That might be fine for Christmas Eve, but what about the other 364 days? We’re talking about a guy who runs a major distribution operation at the North Pole. Surely his business takes him to many cities, places where parallel parking eight reindeer and a sleigh can be problematic.

It's the holidays; time for families to get together, eat too much food, exchange gifts and argue over whether to watch football, parades or "It's A Wonderful Life" - again.
Whatever we end up watching, it's inevitably interrupted by a car commercial that, just as inevitably, shows some lucky person coming down Christmas morning to find a new car with a big red bow on it.

A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon an issue of Time magazine from 1939 at a flea market in Syracuse.
On the cover was K.T. Keller, the man who took over Chrysler Corp. from Walter P. Chrysler Sr.

Ninety seconds could change Daniel Short's life.
That's the length of a typical promo reel that producers put together when shopping around a reality show TV pilot. One such reel was being shot at Short's shop two weeks ago. If it's sold to a network, it would cap a year of change.

NORFOLK
Kimnach Ford Inc. has sold cars and trucks on Virginia Beach Boulevard for 50 years. On Friday at 8 p.m., it plans to shutter its showroom.
Julian "Jay" Council Jr., the dealership's president, gave employees the news on Tuesday, said Serge Kher, the general sales manager. Soon afterward, signs were placed on the doors to let customers know.

Can a small car be a luxury car? Manufacturers who produce high-end brands are struggling to create products that are both small and exclusive. After all, you can get leather and a navigation system on a Ford Fiesta.

Look no further than such cars as the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, both of which are struggling to find mass acceptance.

For the first time since anyone can remember, the Chevrolet Camaro is outselling the Ford Mustang. According to Automotive News, Chevy moved 40,275 Camaros for the first five months of 2011. During the same period, Ford sold 30,206 Mustangs.

You’ve done your research. You’ve test driven the vehicles you’re considering. You think you’re a well-informed consumer, right?

Well, there are things automakers aren’t telling you. But it’s not necessarily a case of deception. It’s just the quickly changing auto industry.

Here then, are 10 things your automaker isn’t telling you.