SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

Offering a twist on all of the announcements lately regarding the best new models of 2012, Edmunds’ InsideLine.com has taken a different route.

Topping the list for the “100 Worst Cars of All Time” is the 2001 Pontiac Aztek, according to the site.

Just why has this unit earned this not so coveted title? According to the site’s editors, the Aztek topped the list because it  “drove the biggest and last nails into Pontiac’s heavily side-clad, plastic coffin."

And the rest of the Big 3 were definitely not excused from the list either, with Ford and Chevrolet finding themselves in the top five. Luxury models also made it on the list, with a BMW model coming in at No. 3.

Edmunds.com editor in chief Scott Oldham also took the time to explain why the company released such a list.

“If it weren’t for the bad cars, how could the world appreciate the good ones?" asked Oldham. "There’s a good idea at the heart of all of these cars, but it’s a good idea betrayed by half-effort engineering, haphazard quality and cynical compromises.”

Moreover, the vehicles included on Edmunds’ list span most of the last 100 years, dating back to the 1917 Chevrolet Series D, which came in at No. 11, the company shared.

 And while some units on the list are more well known, such as the 1971 Ford Pinto and 1970 AMC Gremlin,  Edmunds noted readers will all see some “lesser-known misfires”  by luxury and supercar automakers, including the 1980 Lamborghini Espada, 1990 Infiniti M30 Convertible and1975 Rolls-Royce Camargue, to name a few.

Following the Aztek, here are the units that round out the top five worst cars ever, according to Edmunds:

2. 1974 Ford Mustang II:  “Built upon the spindly bones of the Pinto, this shrunken, malformed pony was instantly appalling to Mustang lovers. And, unfortunately, hugely popular with buyers stuck with serial fuel crises,” company officials explained.

3. 1955 BMW Isetta: “Originally designed by Italy’s Iso, BMW built the atrocious, single-cylinder 12-hp, one-door Isetta for seven years,” the company noted. “Parked nose-in to a wall, the door wouldn’t open. The whole car was a crumple zone.”

4. 1987 Yugo:  “A Serbian-made version of the Fiat 127 that couldn’t possibly be as awful as its low price suggested. But it was! Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary as shorthand for automotive crap,” the company surmised.

5. 1971 Chevrolet Vega: “An engine that couldn’t hold oil, in a car built with contempt for its buyers. It’s the car that invited Americans to buy Toyotas and Hondas. However, it did make a good Pro Stock racer,” company officials said.

For the full list of the “100 Worst Cars of All Time,” see here.

On the other hand, earlier this year Edmunds’ InsideLine.com released its “100 Greatest Cars of All Time.” This list can be found here.