With every year that passes, automakers unleash new groundbreaking features, car innovations, and technologies. But occasionally, a new car comes out disrupting even big car manufacturers' plans, forcing them to follow suit or enhance their own visionary thinking. No automaker wants to get left behind as that's how car companies die fast. As a result, new cars that set new benchmarks in terms of speed, technology, price, performance, and more keep getting churned out.

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Case in point? From petrol and diesel-driven cars, the industry is now moving to hybrid cars and electric cars thanks to the 2012 Tesla Model S. There are more technologies being developed for the future such as autonomous cars. Leaving alone the future, when it comes to cars that have already shaken the status quo at a point in time, the 10 cars below stand out.

10 2012 Tesla Model S

A 2012 Tesla Model S EV
via: Car Gurus

The perception of electric cars was not fully embraced until Tesla blessed EV car lovers with the 2012 Tesla Model S. And yes it was a hit, it ended up selling in volume pushing away the likes of Priuses (hybrid cars). Today, one can travel from coast to coast with an electric car because of the Tesla Model S showing automakers long-range EVS are possible.

The 2012 Tesla Model S
via Car Gurus

The Tesla Model S is now packed with a big battery, enabling it hit up to 421 miles without recharging. It even has good looks and drives comfortably. Worried about how long recharging a Tesla takes? Tesla introduced its own “supercharger” system which is almost unmatched. To date, almost every automaker is working on developing an electric car that can beat Tesla cars in terms of range as they lead the park.

9 1999 Lexus RX

The 1999 Lexus RX 300
via Consumer Guide Automotive

Well, the Lexus RX made its initial debut at the turn of the millennium, but it did leave an instant impact on all car manufacturers. It was housed on a unibody chassis, a fairly novel technology that didn't exist at that time. To many, the 1999 Lexus RX was a bridge between an SUV and a luxury sedan.

A 1999 Lexus RX 300
via Edmunds

This Japan-made RX carries the cross for the proliferation of the word luxury-grade crossover. When it first went on sale, customers did love some features like the interior space, 4WD system, and the seating position, a trend that runs even today. Such crossovers are now considered a family conveyance.

8 1990 Mazda MX 5

The 1990_MazdaMX 5 Miata
via Wikimedia Commons

This 1990 Mazda MX5 did show up at a time when the automobile world had left the convertible segment out for dead. The MX5 reminded everyone that there’s still room at the table of greats for a compact two-seater roadster. Demand for this little Mazda even outstripped its production.

This is a 1st Generation Mazda Miata MX-5 NA roadster sports car
Via: Miata.net

The Mazda MX5 roadster weighed a mere 2050 pounds - just missing out on the list of the lightest road-legal cars. The MX5 got its juice from a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. The Fourth Generation Mazda MX5 was launched in 2014; it underwent several engine upgrades making it push out 181hp.

7 1984 Dodge Caravan & Plymouth Voyager

The 1984 Dodge Caravan
via Mecum Auctions

Today, everyone knows what a minivan is thanks to the 1984 Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. This duo gave modern families something they lacked back then — more interior space as compared to station wagons. But the main selling point was that it offered rational fuel economy for such a big family car.

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1984 Plymouth Voyager LE -
via TopClassicCarsForSale.com

Winding the clock back to before 1984, no automaker was manufacturing minivans, even though Chrysler did plan to build one, an idea that never materialized. Today Minivans are recommended over SUVs for kiddie drop-offs and coastal runs. Add this to the entertainment options added to today’s minivans keeping all passengers entertained.

6 1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI

A White 1976 VW Golf GTI
via Cars.com

The original hot hatch from Volkswagen never made it to the American shores. The GTI did show up a few years later making an instant impact on all American hungry gearheads that wanted more fun and performance in a car. First unveiled in 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the GTI didn’t disappoint, it offered more than 100hp in such a tiny and lightweight beautiful creased package.

The 1976 VW Golf GTI
via Pinterest

The production of the GTI wasn’t expected to hit 5,000 copies. This was the minimum requirement for qualification into the Group One Production Touring Car class. To everyone’s shock, the GTI surpassed this limit and eventually sold almost half a million units.

5 1997 GM EV1

The 1997 GM EV1
via Wikipedia

The Tesla Model S has to be the car that brought electric cars to the limelight, but people forget the 1997 EV1 is the car that dragged the electric genre to the public eye. Oddly enough, its production was short-lived as GM recalled all EV1s and crushed them. This doesn’t take away the fact that the EV1 was the first mass-produced electric vehicle.

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1997 General Motors EV1 Electric Coupe
via Autos-Yahoo.com

It offered a 56 miles range that was later increased to 105 miles. This was quite a milestone during the time since the Ford Focus Electric car - not in production today - couldn’t come close to such numbers, and that’s 20 years later. Even though GM intended to crush all of them, a few got snuck into some educational institutes and museums.

4 1990 Lexus LS 400

White 1990 Lexus LS 400
via Twitter - @DougDeMuro

Why is the LS 400 on this list? To understand its importance, one has to take a closer look at the early ‘90s luxury car scene. During the time, German sedans were costly as compared to the LS 400. The 1990 Lexus LS 400 was more affordable compared to its contemporaries -  BMWs and Mercedes luxury cars.

Backside Of The 1990 Lexus Ls 400
via @DougDeMuro - Twitter

The LS 400 took pride in its smooth and quiet drivability. The Acura Legend Sedan debuted a few years before the LS 400, but it was the latter that spearheaded luxury car sales in the USA for a massive 11 years. Lexus was a well-screwed machine and earned a reputation for its surprisingly good dealer service.

3 Ford Model T

The _Ford_Model_T_
via History.com

History is rich with game-changers, but it’s the Ford Model T that earned the accolade of the 1st mass-produced car. More to this, it was the first car built cheaply, and was quite affordable to the public with a sticker cost of a mere $850 in 1908.

1925 Ford Model T - touring
via Wikipedia

The real breakthrough was Ford’s shift to a moving assembly line, a move that completely revolutionized the manufacturing of cars. This technology has been used since 1913 and is still in use to date. By the time Model T’s production was terminated in 1927, 15 million units had already been produced.

2 Nissan GTR

Nissan GT-R V6
via Auto Trader Uk

When the Godzilla made its way to the USA in 2008, it completely changed the supercar landscape - other competitors were left scratching their heads. The streets have it that one Ferrari technician did try to analyze the GT-R seeking answers on the Godzilla’s fast speeds.

White 2017 Nissan GT-R
via Edmunds

The answer is in the GT-R’s twin-turbo V6 engine churning out a massive 545 hp. Coupled to the engine is an auto dual-clutch plus a tenacious symmetrical AWD system. With a retail price of $80,000, the GT-R was a more affordable supercar as compared to other supercars.

1 Toyota Prius

2001 Toyota Prius Hybrid
via Mecum Auctions

Today, almost every auto manufacturer has a hybrid unit if not playing catch up. The Honda Insight was actually the 1st mass-produced hybrid car in the USA, but that's a long-forgotten fact due to the Toyota Prius’ raging success.

Toyota 2021 Toyota Prius Hybrid Electric Liftback
via Toyota.com

The success of the Toyota Prius was not without some hiccups, critics everywhere scoffed at everything about this unit ranting that it had a complicated drivetrain and tiny wheels & aerodynamics. Toyota paid a deaf ear to such critics and pushed on the sale of the fuel-sipping Prius. Due to its success, Toyota made other hybrid Toyotas and Lexus models. By 2014 Toyota had surpassed the 6 million mark in terms of sales. Today even the big guns like Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari have joined the hybrid legion.

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