Call me old-school, but I think car companies have soul. Well, some do. Toyota has had some pretty cool products over the year, but I still think of them as the makers of transportation devices, not enthusiast machines. This is true of pretty much all makes, save for a few that have a special bent towards making enjoyable cars. They were...
1. Porsche. This the make that I never thought would totally cave in to making appliances. They have had their goofs over the years, but I really thought that they would stay true to their mission of making special cars that combined unique styling and a combination of handling and power that made them truly enjoyable to drive.
2. BMW. Peter is right. These guys invented the sports sedan and right through the 1990's, seemed to be the one true make that stayed in touch with the driver's soul.
3. Mercedes-Benz. Yes, they are my list. Mercedes was also special in their thinking, pioneering technology and making cars that were all-day and all-night comfortable at ridiculous speeds. I drove a 190E-16V across Montana, rarely dipping below 180km/h, and today, it's still a strong memory of how well those cars worked.
Now, all three of these makers are considering or making FWD machines that will offer little or no driving pleasure, as is true of pretty much every other FWD car sold. FWD is about economical production and packaging and creating an understeering "safe" driving experience for people with little or no car-control skill. There are a couple decent FWD cars, but they would be much better driving machines with RWD or a well-set-up AWD system.
The owners of BMW cars laughed at the drivers of bloated Caddies that threatened to scrape their side mirrors off in every corner. BMW delivered trim, sleek cars that presented superb ergonomics to the driver and wasted not a centimeter of sheet metal.
Are companies really about profits and nothing else? Aren't they made up of people with passion? A world that seeks profit and pays no attention to art, passion, or other esoteric pursuits? No thanks.