Five cars that turned their companies around

We all know it's a grim time for carmakers at the moment, but these five cars show that sometimes revival is just one special product away. Barack Obama has just made history by using American tax dollars to bail out General Motors, effectively nationalising it, but as far as its new owners are concerned, the sooner the US Government can cut GM loose, the better. You all know the story by now: unsustainably high costs coupled with the global financial meltdown meant the American car industry got found out. But let's not forget, at the core of the problem is a legacy of making cars vastly inferior to those from Europe and Japan. America needs to catch up, fast.

But GM might have a trump card in the form of the Chevrolet Volt, an ingenious plug-in hybrid that runs on electricity, but can extend its range to around 300 miles with a small petrol engine that charges the battery - but isn't connected to the wheels. If the reality matches the promise, it could revive GM at a stroke.

We'll have to wait and see about that, but GM's not the first maker pinning its hopes on a single car. So, here are our top five cars that single-handedly revived their makers' fortunes.