Autoblog has had a spectacular 2008 and we hope the past 365 days has been as equally rewarding for you. The auto industry itself, however, has suffered through a miserable '08 and will probably be toasting its conclusion when the ball drops at midnight. While the year began mild enough, summer brought $4/gallon gasoline that highlighted the relatively weak small car and hybrid lineup that our own domestic automakers are working feverishly to fix. And then the long-festering mortgage crisis turned into an all-out credit crisis and a tanking financial industry threatened to take out General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. All three have survived thanks to some 11th hour aid from the federal government, but we're sure each is hoping that 2009 doesn't hurt as much as 2008.

We'll be kicking off 2009 the right way then with a surprise at 12:01 AM EST. Come back to Autoblog.com at Midnight and we think you'll find something that's uplifting and serves as a good reminder that we still have a lot to look forward to in this industry.

Happy New Year!