2006 Detroit Auto Show Preview

Thousands of journalists from all over the world grumble as they book flights, trudge up the Jetway to the plane, mutter as they check into a hotel room, and then put on a smiley face for the three day grip-and-grin marathon also known as the North American International Auto Show media days. But we’re different. To us, Detroit in January is like Toys ‘R Us to a ten-year-old…a ten-year-old with a $500 gift card. That’s because automakers from around the world bring their newest, flashiest, most exciting cars and trucks to Cobo Hall each January, and we love them for it. This year, our 2006 North American International Auto Show Preview is a mix of confirmed debuts and rumored introductions. For example, we’ve heard that Chevrolet is going to unveil a kick-ass Camaro Concept that blends the rear styling and greenhouse of the 1969 model with the nose of the 1970 version, but we know for sure that the Dodge Challenger Concept is going to show up in all of its SRT-massaged, Hemi-powered glory. Add the first public display of the 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 Convertible to the mix, and it’s clear that Detroit is revving up the pony car wars all over again. Other new models on the horizon include stretched and pickuped versions of the 2007 Cadillac Escalade (pictured above), the 2007 Dodge Caliber, the 2007 Ford Edge, and the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. Also slated for the show are the 2007 Lexus LS 460, 2007 Lincoln MKX, 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, and the very cool Nissan URGE Concept. We’re heading for the Motor City to cover the show starting Sunday, January 8, and the smiles on our faces will be real. Until then we’ve got this 2006 North American International Auto Show Preview for you, a compilation of photos, facts, and educated guesses about what’s showing up in Detroit next month. From the 2007 Acura RDX to the Subaru B5-TPH Concept, you can learn all about some the hottest new rides on the planet. Enjoy, and check back again on the evenings of Jan. 8, 9, and 10 for complete North American International Auto Show coverage.

Acura RDX

Acura plans to expand its SUV lineup with the new RDX, which is based on the Honda CR-V platform but is loaded with luxury features and engineered to provide sportier handling than the family wagon on which it is based. Concept version have employed a hybrid powertrain good for a combined 250 horsepower, but more likely the production version will have the Acura TSX’s 200-horse, 2.4-liter iVTEC engine under the hood. Expect all-wheel drive to be standard, in keeping with Acura’s philosophy of including everything except navigation in the base price. Speaking of which, the RDX should handily undercut the bigger MDX with a starting sticker of just less than $30,000.

Audi S8

Don’t buy the new Audi S8 because it’s gorgeous. Or because it’s got a big, whompin’, 450-horsepower V10 engine under the hood. Buy it because that big, whompin’, 450-horsepower V10 is lifted directly out of the Lamborghini Gallardo sports car. The S8 is barely distinguished from a standard A8 – special wheels, badges, and grillework are the subtle hints at what lies beneath. Power flows to all four wheels through a paddle-shifted six-speed automatic.

BMW Z4 Coupe

This incredibly cohesive design is scheduled to hit the roads later this year as the 2007 BMW Z4 Coupe. The photo depicts the concept car, which is almost production ready. We’d guess that the Z4 Coupe will have your choice of two 3.0-liter inline sixes from the redesigned 3 Series, along with a hot-rodded M Coupe model equipped with the massaged 3.2-liter motor from the outgoing BMW M3.

BMW Z4 M Roadster

Stuff the 333-horsepower, 3.2-liter inline six from the larger and heavier BMW M3 into a relative lightweight like the BMW Z4, and you’ve got a recipe for magic. You’ve also got a recipe for the 2007 BMW Z4 M Roadster, which gets suspension and braking modifications to help cope with the additional performance potential. Exterior changes are limited to subtle spoilers, and the interior gets unique seats and trim. The 2007 BMW Z4 M Roadster goes on sale this summer.

Cadillac Escalade ESV/EXT

Stretch a Cadillac Escalade and you’ve got the Escalade ESV, able to seat up to eight people in comfort and style. Replace the enclosed cargo area with a pickup bed and add a pass-through to the cabin, and you’ve got the Escalade EXT, complete with an eight-foot long cargo box. The 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT and ESV will get the same 403-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 engine as the standard-issue model pictured above, along with optional 22-inch chrome wheels from the factory and a completely redesigned interior that makes every hip-hopper’s favorite truck much more upscale.

Dodge Caliber

Dodge is rethinking what a small car needs to be with the 2007 Caliber. Replacing the Neon sedan in the lineup, the 2007 Dodge Caliber is a five-door hatchback powered by your choice of three relatively underwhelming four-cylinder engines ranging in power output from 140 horses to about 180. A five-speed manual transmission is standard with a continuously variable transmission optional. All-wheel drive is also planned, though even the top engine might have trouble motivating that kind of mass. We’d like to see the turbocharged engine from the PT Cruiser GT installed here, but otherwise, the 2007 Dodge Caliber looks like a winner.

Dodge Challenger

Check out this blast from the past. Dodge is not blind to the success of the retro-mod Ford Mustang, and has created this new “challenger” off the Dodge Charger platform. The Dodge Challenger Concept’s styling cues are lifted straight off the original 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, but those massive six-spoke alloy wheels, however, belie the modern mechanicals underneath the bodywork. Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team has breathed on this concept, which has a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 under the hood. A six-speed transmission puts the power to the rear wheels through a piston-grip shifter that recalls the original Challenger, and the driver sits on a ribbed black upholstery – though in this concept it’s leather instead of yesteryear’s vinyl. A slightly modified version of this Challenger could land in Dodge showrooms by 2008, with engines ranging from a 3.5-liter V6 making around 250 horsepower to the concept car’s 425-horse, ground-pounding, 6.1-liter Hemi.

Ford Edge

Ford’s got a potential hit with the 2007 Edge, a new crossover SUV that shares its underpinnings with the all-new Lincoln MKX. Offered with front- or all-wheel drive, the roomy Ford Edge is motivated by the company’s new corporate 3.5-liter V6 engine, which makes 250 horsepower. Ford’s new chrome tri-bar grille provides strong identification at first glance, and the Edge replaces the relatively new Freestyle in the brand’s lineup. Mercury will not get a version of the Edge. Rather, it gets dibs on the Freestyle, which will be revised and renamed to open new doors over at Mercury.

Ford Shelby Cobra

January in Detroit is a depressing time unless you’re a car junkie. The holidays are over, and now the snow and cold gray days are a hassle instead of a mood enhancement. Everyone just wants to go to Florida and bask in the sun. Maybe that’s why Ford will let the media, and public, put its hands on the 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 Convertible for the first time at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. A ride south in this 450-horsepower rocket would put a smile on almost anyone’s face, especially when you pass that very first palm tree alongside I-75 near Valdosta, Ga.

Honda FCX Concept

This stylish and sporty sedan is Honda’s latest fuel-cell test bed, the FCX Concept. First shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in September, the Honda FCX Concept is fueled by hydrogen and uses electric motors mounted at both axles for all-wheel-drive capability. What’s key here is that the FCX Concept is a low-slung and roomy fuel cell vehicle. Normally, fuel-cell cars require a thick “skateboard-style” platform to house the fuel cell powerplant and its hardware, but the FCX is packaged to reduce the intrusion of technology on the passenger cabin.