Car companies are in a tough situation right now. On the one hand you need to make cars that people will actually buy, on the other hand you need to keep the enthusiasts happy.

Make too many cars that people want to buy and you become Toyota: great cars, one of the biggest manufacturers on the planet, but saddled with a line-up which has the same amount of interest and energy as a saltine. The result? Stagnation.

On the other hand, if you make lots and lots of cars that please enthusiasts you become Chrysler: lots and lots of aggressive looking cars, lots of V8 and V10 engines, but nobody wants to buy any of that, which is evident from Chrysler’s current financial outlook — in a word, bleak.

As an automotive enthusiast I’m a prime example of this paradox. Ask me almost any question you like about Porsche. Displacement of the 997 Carrera S engine? 3.8L. Power output of the 997 Mk. I GT3? 415bhp. So, the next time they need to think up a new model, should Porsche think, “What kind of car would Leif want to drive?” Oh god no, not if they want to make any money next year they shouldn’t.

My ideal Porsche would weigh under a metric tonne, have no carpet, no radio, no AC and the ride comfort of a Radio-Flyer wagon, and no one but me and six other insane people scattered around this planet would buy one, if we could afford a Porsche, which we can’t. For Porsche to survive they need to cater to the doctors, dentists and CEOs out there, throwing us enthusiasts the occasional bone.

So, balance then. As someone who ascended to driving age in the late ‘90s it pains me to say this, but the company who has this down pat at the moment is Hyundai. Yes, the maker of cars I wouldn’t be caught dead in ten years ago has discovered that, by having a V8 sedan, an attractive rear wheel drive coupe and a smattering of sensible and efficient cars in its lineup, the company can play both sides of the fence.

Think I’m talking out my ass? Hyundai just reported a 27 per cent increase in the number of cars it sold in September, 2009 than it did last year, while Toyota and Chrysler reported 15 and 61 per cent decreases, respectively.