It’s a go for the Dodge Challenger concept. At the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Florida, DaimlerChrysler is expected to announce its plans to build the production version of the sensational, retro-styled Dodge Challenger concept it debuted earlier this year in Detroit. The Dodge Challenger stole the show at this year’s NAIAS with its old-school looks, a dead ringer for the original 1970 Challenger and its exciting 425hp, V-8 engine.

The new Dodge Challenger will be built with the same basic chassis found on the Chrysler 300 and the popular Dodge Charger. The first new Dodge Challenger is expected by 2008. This could be a renaissance of sorts for muscle cars in the U.S. automotive scene; after the resounding success of the Ford Mustang, General Motors Corp. is expected to bring back the Chevrolet Camaro, another popular pony/muscle car.

When it comes to pricing, Chrysler’s sales and marketing exec, Joe Eberhardt, said that the new Dodge Challenger may be priced a little bit higher than the Ford Mustang, which is currently priced at $19,000 to $26,000.

Practically unchanged from the concept introduced at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Jeep Patriot made its global debut as a production vehicle, the newest entry-level SUV in Jeep’s lineup, at the 2006 New York International Automobile Show. The new Patriot arrives just three months after the debut at the 2006 NAIAS of another entry-level SUV from Jeep, the Compass. Both the Compass and the Patriot share a platform with the Dodge Caliber.

While the Compass looks more like a conventional SUV with a Jeep grille, the Patriot is more akin to the traditional Jeep design with elements of the original Jeep Cherokee evident. These include the square-ish lines, short overhangs and the trademark seven-slot Jeep grille. Also, the Patriot has already earned is ‘Trail Rated’ badge, unlike the Compass, because of its higher ground clearance and 4WD system.

The new Patriot will come with three available configurations: the standard front-wheel drive and two four-wheel drive systems (Freedom Drive I and Freedom Drive II). These drive systems make the Patriot a true off-road vehicle with its features such as added traction, continuously variable transmission with a low range capability, higher ground clearance, 17-inch all terrain tires and aluminum wheels, skid plates, tow hooks, fog lights, body sealing, etc.

Freedom II makes the Patriot at par with Jeep’s off-road capability prerequisites for water fording, traction, articulation, ground clearance and maneuverability. The Jeep Patriot will be powered by a 2.4 liter World Engine with variable valve timing and with an output of 172hp, and 165 lb.-ft. of torque. The Patriot will be arriving at dealerships later this year with an entry-level sticker price at under $16,000.

Are you longing to drive a hybrid vehicle but only have enough cash for a $12,000 car? Well, your wish may no longer be light years away! Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a Japanese business daily, revealed last Wednesday the plans of Honda Motor Co. to develop a hybrid version of the Honda Fit. According to the report, the Honda Fit hybrid would start selling as early as 2007. Honda executives, however, declined to confirm the report.

The Honda Fit is a new entry-level compact car that the Japanese auto manufacturing company has recently introduced in the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The vehicle is actually a North American version of the Honda Jazz, a best-selling vehicle model being sold by the company in most of their Asian and European markets. When the vehicle goes on sale this year, it will be equipped with a standard 109-hp, 1.5-liter VTEC four-cylinder engine mated with either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.

Now, based on the hybrid versions of the Honda Civic and Accord, Honda adds a premium of about 300, 000 yen ($2,525) for its hybrid vehicles. By using a smaller motor and battery, however, Nihon Keizai reported that the premium for the Fit will be reduced to about 200,000 yen ($1,600). This means that the new Honda Fit hybrid, if sold, would only sell around $11,790*! Well that’s definitely a lot more affordable than the hybrids being sold today!

At a price below $12,000 and with a fuel economy of some 50 mpg, the envisioned Honda Fit hybrid would definitely be a true value car. But just as Honda still won’t verify the reports, we can do nothing but wait and hope that the Japanese auto manufacturer would eventually confirm the said new… or wait for the vehicle to be introduced in next year’s major auto shows.

*Price estimate based on the cost of Honda Fit (or Jazz) in Japan. North American prices are expected to be a higher.

The 2006 Honda Civic was chosen as the North American Car of the Year while the 2006 Honda Ridgeline was picked as the North American Truck of the Year. The double victory for Honda marks the first time a single car brand won in both categories. It is also Honda’s first win in both categories. The recognition was announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year are chosen by 49 automotive journalists from all over the US and Canada. The winning vehicles are chosen according to several criteria including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value for the dollar. A vehicle must be “all-new” or “substantially altered” to be eligible for the award. For 2006, judges cut down dozens of eligible models to 14 cars and 14 trucks on which they voted.

The 2006 Honda Civic is a reengineered and restyled eighth-generation version of the highly popular model. The new model sets new benchmarks in the small car segment with updated i-VTEC engine that is both powerful and fuel-efficient. Excellent safety features are one of the many characteristics of a Honda Civic and the 2006 continues this tradition with advanced standard safety equipment and Advanced Compatibility Engineering Body Structure.

The new Honda Civic is freshly redesigned with a new expressive exterior and modern interiors. It beat out Ford’s new Fusion and the popular Pontiac Solstice who were first and second runners up respectively. The new Civic has an SRP of $14,360. The Civic has been the top selling small car in America for many years, with 12 straight years of annual sales increases in the US.

Meanwhile, Honda’s debut into the truck segment was nothing short of spectacular with the Honda Ridgeline winning the North American Truck of the Year. The Ridgeline had a commanding lead over all the other finalists including previous winner Nissan Xterra and the Ford Explorer. Introduced in March 2005, the Ridgeline offered a number of innovations and new features exclusive to the Honda truck.

The 2006 Honda Ridgeline boasts of serious truck features such as steel-reinforced composite bed, flip-up rear seats and spacious stowage space. It even features an innovative “In-Bed Trunk”, a lockable, weather-tight, 8.5 cubic foot compartment under the bead floor and behind the rear axle. It has a 5,000-lb towing capacity and 1,550-lb total payload capacity with a powerful 247-hp, V-6 engine.

The 2006 Honda Civic and Honda Ridgeline are also Motor Trend’s Car and Truck of the Year. Jon Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda was ecstatic over the surprise double-victory. “We certainly hoped for one; we didn’t expect two”, he said. Last year, the Chrysler 300/300C was the North American Car of the Year while the Ford Escape Hybrid was the North American Truck of the Year.

The legend of the Chevrolet Camaro, one of the most popular sport coupes of all time was reborn in a stunning debut of its newest concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. The 21st century Chevrolet Camaro was unveiled in a glitzy presentation complete with a high-school marching band and a parade of Camaros from the glory days of 60s and the 70. The debut was met very enthusiastic response at the General Motors Corp display.

There’s good reason for this excitement, the Camaro concept doesn’t disappoint, to say the least. GM’s press release on the concept summed it all:

“The Camaro Concept embodies the performance and passion that have made first-generation Camaros some of the most sought-after collector cars, updating the formula with a fuel-efficient powertrain, sophisticated chassis and contemporary design execution. The goal is to make the sport coupe relevant to younger enthusiasts while retaining its appeal to its current fans.”

The Camaro concept wowed the crowd with its lean, muscular lines and a youthful new look that also paid homage to the highly successful Camaros of the past. The design is undoubtedly of a serious performance car, with its long hood, short deck and wide stance. It is reminiscent of the early Camaros but is also instantly recognizable as an all-new car with a fresh, new, exciting stance.

This early, the concept car has already won accolades, including a concept implementation award from the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. Inside, the performance is realized by the Corvette-inspired aluminum 400 hp small-block V-8 engine with 6-speed manual transmission and a sophisticated chassis with 4-wheel independent suspension.

Definitely, the Camaro concept is a car everybody is looking forward to. Thousands of enthusiasts are sure hoping that it will see production as soon as possible. You can read more about the Chevrolet Camaro Concept’s impressive design and performance at Chevrolet’s official website.

One of the most anticipated annual events in the automotive industry is taking place in a couple of days. The 2006 North American International Auto Show will be held from January 8 to 22 in Detroit. This is the 18th year the show has been an international event and the 90th year it has been held in Detroit.

This year, more than forty auto makers from around the world will converge at the COBO Center in Detroit to exhibit hundreds of new models that they will offer in the near – or distant- future. NAIAS 2006 will also witness the premieres of exciting concept cars and production vehicles.

Some of the most awaited concept car debuts at the 2006 NAIAS include the Nissan Urge, a sporty roadster coupe that is also a unique driving-game platform for Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The Acura RDX Prototype, a crossover SUV that will feature the RL’s Super Handling All Wheel Drive will also see its debut. Other dazzling concept vehicles that will be featured include the Toyota FJ Cruiser, Volvo C30 concept, Ford Reflex concept, Dodge Challenger concept and other exciting vehicles with equally interesting names (albeit some of them sound a bit strange).

New 2007 versions of the Toyota Camry, Jeep Wrangler, BMW M Roadster, Cadillac Escalade, Nissan Sentra, GMC Yukon and other current models will also be introduced. Toyota will seek to further strengthen its dominance in the hybrid car market with the introduction of the 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid. The new North American version of the Toyota Yaris is also expected to make a splash.

The NAIAS 2006 is expected to draw in more than 800,000 visitors from around the world when the show opens to the public. Guests will definitely be in for a ride with the forty or so auto manufacturers expected to pull all stops in their displays and exhibits. Image campaigns at the Detroit show will feature the biggest square footage of light-emitting diode (LED) displays that will highlight the booths and displays of Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan and dozens of other automakers.

For more information about the upcoming 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, visit their official website at http://www.naias.com/.