The economy's still in the proverbial dumpster. The fate of two of the Detroit Three is hanging on by a lug nut that's almost off the thread. No one who builds cars has been unscathed by the carnage. As John Krafcik, U.S. CEO of Hyundai -- one of the few automakers who have managed to keep its head just above a sea of red ink -- remarked recently: "flat is the new up."

And as if there isn't already enough for board members and CEOs to fret over already, pressure continues to build to deliver ever greener, stratospherically high mileage machines with technologically advanced alternative powertrains, and oh yeah, do it like yesterday.

It's in this incredibly challenging and dynamically changing automotive landscape that the world's automakers, despite the myriad challenges confronting them, continue to forge ahead with plans for their next generation of four-wheeled offerings.

Despite it all, there's still a lot to look forward to in the near future. So we've went ahead assembled another list of more than two dozen vehicles that are on the way to showrooms within the next two years or so as a follow-up to our recent 2010 Future Cars roundup.

From high dollar exotics (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Aston Martin Rapide) to fuel-sipping econoboxes (Chevrolet Spark, Scion iQ), to hyper green machines (Honda CR-Z, Chevrolet Volt) and everything in between, the group of vehicles assembled represents the beginnings of a seismic shift in automotive transportation.

Here's hoping that once the economy finally climbs out of its doldrums that what remains of the automotive industry emerges stronger and better equipped to build cars like the ones you'll find on the following pages.