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Over the years I have gotten a kick out of observing the auto industry and watching how people’s tastes in vehicles change. A body style that is hot in one decade can be gone 10 years later.

The automotive highway is littered with abandoned or nearly abandoned models like the two- and four-door hardtops, convertibles and most recently, the truck-based SUV. It appears that the minivan as we once knew it is heading for extinction too. Hello car-based crossovers.

If I could start over and choose a new career, I think being an auto research and marketing type would suit me fine. It has been fascinating to watch the industry evolve over the past 5 1/2 decades and note which cars and trucks struck gold (Mustang and Chrysler minivans) and which went down in flames (Edsel and Chevy SSR). Running an auto company is a high-stakes poker game, and it isn’t for the timid or shy.

It is interesting to note that the models that became both sales and design home runs were usually also segment-breakers. Ford’s Mustang and Chrysler’s minivans created a whole new vehicle segment that caught buyers’ fancy and also forced auto competitors to follow suit with their own models. I’m always wondering which automaker will make the next step to create a whole new segment like Lexus did in 1999 with the luxury crossover RX.

So is there a segment-breaking new vehicle on the horizon? Will the Detroit Three, just now recovering from an economic disaster, find a way to bring out something new that captures buyers’ attention and become a huge bestseller? Let’s take a look at some possibilities. If I ran things, I’d see these options.

When one reviews past segment breakers, it can be noted that in almost every case, the new entry was created from the “bones” of an existing platform. Sharing the “bones” is an economic necessity because it reduces the cost, and thus the risk, of a new adventure.

The first mid-size American sedan, the Ford Fairlane, was a stretched Falcon. The Mustang was a reskinned Falcon. Even the spanking new, unibody 1958 Thunderbird had a kinship with the all-new unibody Lincoln, both assembled in a new plant (now closed) in Wixom, Mich.

The healthiest of the Detroit Three would appear to be Ford, if you ignore that fact that it hefts a huge debt load. The Dearborn company is on a roll right now. Sales are picking up as buyers seek out Ford’s attractive vehicles.

If any Detroit company is in the position to bring out a segment breaker, it’s Ford. After all, it’s the Ford boys who surprised the industry in the past with such aforementioned barnburners as the four-place Thunderbird, the mid-size Fairlane and the Mustang.

So if I was a research/marketing VP for Ford, and keeping in mind the limitations at hand (keep costs down, use existing hardware), what segment-breaking model would I come up with?

Ford offers three marques – Mercury, Lincoln and, of course, Ford. Lincoln, with the exception of the Navigator, offers a fairly fresh lineup of vehicles. The MKZ was freshened last year. The MKS, introduced in 2008 as a 2009 model, still holds its own. The crossover MKX will get a freshening this summer.

Ford dealer showrooms are bursting with fresh new product. The Taurus is off and running, and the new Transit Connect is attracting attention. A freshened Mustang, especially with its new V-6 model, will compete well with the new Camaro. The evergreen F-150 is still looking good from its freshening last year.

The Fusion, also freshened last year, is on a roll. And soon the exciting all-new Fiesta and Focus will hit the road.

That leaves Mercury. Never a huge seller, Mercury in recent years has fallen on hard times. Mercury didn’t keep up with the times, and young buyers have simply ignored it in recent years. If CEO Alan Mulally were to ask me what model Ford should develop next, I would recommend a new model for Mercury based on the Mustang platform.

I still get goose bumps thinking about the time I saw the 1958 Ford Thunderbird for the first time. Mercury needs a ’58 Thunderbird model, a startlingly new and expressive near-luxury car that is exclusive to the brand and is priced competitively.

I would take the Mustang rear-drive platform, stretch it a bit for a longer wheelbase and plunk down a stunning looking four-door hardtop body (not a pillared sedan – if Mercedes can build and sell a hardtop, so can Ford).

Call it the Cougar and, like with the Mustang in 1964, offer a wide range of power plants.

Lastly, put in the car an upscale interior. If priced right, a car like this would give the Mercury brand a huge image boost and increase Ford Motor’s overall sales.

The choices for a segment breaker at GM are limited. I keep thinking that American youth are ready for another original Mustang-type car. One that is reasonably priced, not too big, great looking and can be optioned into any type of car desired, be it a sassy economy car or a muscle-bound performance machine.

With the huge swing to using turbochargers and superchargers to squeeze maximum performance from small-block engines, GM’s best bet might be creating a youthful car from its soon-to-arrive Cruze small-car platform.

While it would be ideal to use a rear-drive platform for a car of this type, GM’s rear-drive options include only one used by Cadillac or by its Australian Holden division (Pontiac GTO, Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Caprice police car). With price and small size as factors, these platforms are not an option.

So I would recommend to Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre that GM bring out a two-door coupe version of the soon-to-be-introduced Cruze. Like the Mercury Cougar, I’d suggest that the model be a pillar-less hardtop; it would put a little extra zing in the corporate lineup.

Because Chevy already has the Camaro, I’d give this new pony-like car to Buick and call it either the Skylark or the Riviera. Both names have long and rich histories with Buick, some bad but mostly good. Think 1953 Skylark and 1963 Riviera.

The two-door hardtop should be styled to look a lot like the Buick concept Riviera created back in 2007 by the GM Chinese design team. A car like this would give Buick dealers a badly needed boost.

Can Chrysler hit a home run with another segment breaker like the minivan or the PT Cruiser? There are so many unknowns regarding this company’s future lineup that it is almost impossible for me to predict.

Certainly, if the hardware is available from Fiat, Chrysler could cash in on the need for a truly compact pickup. In recent years all of the original compact pickups (Ranger, S-10/Colorado, Tacoma, etc.) have grown in size. I bet there is a market for a really sweet-looking small pickup that offers both great value and lots of horsepower options.

The automotive highway is littered with abandoned or nearly abandoned models like the two- and four-door hardtops, convertibles and most recently, the truck-based SUV. It appears that the minivan as we once knew it is heading for extinction too. Hello car-based crossovers.

If I could start over and choose a new career, I think being an auto research and marketing type would suit me fine. It has been fascinating to watch the industry evolve over the past 5 1/2 decades and note which cars and trucks struck gold (Mustang and Chrysler minivans) and which went down in flames (Edsel and Chevy SSR). Running an auto company is a high-stakes poker game, and it isn’t for the timid or shy.

It is interesting to note that the models that became both sales and design home runs were usually also segment-breakers. Ford’s Mustang and Chrysler’s minivans created a whole new vehicle segment that caught buyers’ fancy and also forced auto competitors to follow suit with their own models. I’m always wondering which automaker will make the next step to create a whole new segment like Lexus did in 1999 with the luxury crossover RX.

So is there a segment-breaking new vehicle on the horizon? Will the Detroit Three, just now recovering from an economic disaster, find a way to bring out something new that captures buyers’ attention and become a huge bestseller? Let’s take a look at some possibilities. If I ran things, I’d see these options.

When one reviews past segment breakers, it can be noted that in almost every case, the new entry was created from the “bones” of an existing platform. Sharing the “bones” is an economic necessity because it reduces the cost, and thus the risk, of a new adventure.

The first mid-size American sedan, the Ford Fairlane, was a stretched Falcon. The Mustang was a reskinned Falcon. Even the spanking new, unibody 1958 Thunderbird had a kinship with the all-new unibody Lincoln, both assembled in a new plant (now closed) in Wixom, Mich.

The healthiest of the Detroit Three would appear to be Ford, if you ignore that fact that it hefts a huge debt load. The Dearborn company is on a roll right now. Sales are picking up as buyers seek out Ford’s attractive vehicles.

If any Detroit company is in the position to bring out a segment breaker, it’s Ford. After all, it’s the Ford boys who surprised the industry in the past with such aforementioned barnburners as the four-place Thunderbird, the mid-size Fairlane and the Mustang.

So if I was a research/marketing VP for Ford, and keeping in mind the limitations at hand (keep costs down, use existing hardware), what segment-breaking model would I come up with?

Ford offers three marques – Mercury, Lincoln and, of course, Ford. Lincoln, with the exception of the Navigator, offers a fairly fresh lineup of vehicles. The MKZ was freshened last year. The MKS, introduced in 2008 as a 2009 model, still holds its own. The crossover MKX will get a freshening this summer.

Ford dealer showrooms are bursting with fresh new product. The Taurus is off and running, and the new Transit Connect is attracting attention. A freshened Mustang, especially with its new V-6 model, will compete well with the new Camaro. The evergreen F-150 is still looking good from its freshening last year.

The Fusion, also freshened last year, is on a roll. And soon the exciting all-new Fiesta and Focus will hit the road.

That leaves Mercury. Never a huge seller, Mercury in recent years has fallen on hard times. Mercury didn’t keep up with the times, and young buyers have simply ignored it in recent years. If CEO Alan Mulally were to ask me what model Ford should develop next, I would recommend a new model for Mercury based on the Mustang platform.

I still get goose bumps thinking about the time I saw the 1958 Ford Thunderbird for the first time. Mercury needs a ’58 Thunderbird model, a startlingly new and expressive near-luxury car that is exclusive to the brand and is priced competitively.

I would take the Mustang rear-drive platform, stretch it a bit for a longer wheelbase and plunk down a stunning looking four-door hardtop body (not a pillared sedan – if Mercedes can build and sell a hardtop, so can Ford).

Call it the Cougar and, like with the Mustang in 1964, offer a wide range of power plants.

Lastly, put in the car an upscale interior. If priced right, a car like this would give the Mercury brand a huge image boost and increase Ford Motor’s overall sales.

The choices for a segment breaker at GM are limited. I keep thinking that American youth are ready for another original Mustang-type car. One that is reasonably priced, not too big, great looking and can be optioned into any type of car desired, be it a sassy economy car or a muscle-bound performance machine.

With the huge swing to using turbochargers and superchargers to squeeze maximum performance from small-block engines, GM’s best bet might be creating a youthful car from its soon-to-arrive Cruze small-car platform.

While it would be ideal to use a rear-drive platform for a car of this type, GM’s rear-drive options include only one used by Cadillac or by its Australian Holden division (Pontiac GTO, Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Caprice police car). With price and small size as factors, these platforms are not an option.

So I would recommend to Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre that GM bring out a two-door coupe version of the soon-to-be-introduced Cruze. Like the Mercury Cougar, I’d suggest that the model be a pillar-less hardtop; it would put a little extra zing in the corporate lineup.

Because Chevy already has the Camaro, I’d give this new pony-like car to Buick and call it either the Skylark or the Riviera. Both names have long and rich histories with Buick, some bad but mostly good. Think 1953 Skylark and 1963 Riviera.

The two-door hardtop should be styled to look a lot like the Buick concept Riviera created back in 2007 by the GM Chinese design team. A car like this would give Buick dealers a badly needed boost.

Can Chrysler hit a home run with another segment breaker like the minivan or the PT Cruiser? There are so many unknowns regarding this company’s future lineup that it is almost impossible for me to predict.

Certainly, if the hardware is available from Fiat, Chrysler could cash in on the need for a truly compact pickup. In recent years all of the original compact pickups (Ranger, S-10/Colorado, Tacoma, etc.) have grown in size. I bet there is a market for a really sweet-looking small pickup that offers both great value and lots of horsepower options.

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