Since I'm not talking about "Hello Kitty" here, what are the qualities of automotive cuteness? First is small size -- the smaller, the better. It is pretty hard to fall in love with a Ford Expedition. Rounded forms are important, too. They are warmer and less threatening than straight lines and hard edges.

Then come anthropomorphic qualities -- making the car look as human as possible. When we look at the front of a cute car, we see a human face. The headlights represent the eyes, the grille appears where the nose should be, and the air intake forms a mouth. It's best to have the ends of that air intake turned upward -- nobody wants to look at a frown. Few cute cars have all three qualities, but they all have to be small and have the potential to be lovable.Herewith, my list of the ten cutest cars:By Alex Taylor III, senior-editor-at-large

NEXT: 1. Fiat 500

Last updated May 19 2011: 8:16 AM ET

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