Bailouts, bankruptcies and a billion-dollar buy-back program. It's been a rough ride for the auto industry in 2009, as carmakers limp through the final leg of a year everyone would much rather forget. But amidst the doom and gloom of plummeting sales and closing factories, there were some bright spots – cars worthy of praise and full of promise. So, in the spirit of the season, here are the 12 cars we're really thankful exist, some already in production and others just around the corner.

Photos courtesy of manufacturers