Ford
Ford downplayed news of their financial sales woes at this year's Detroit Auto Show, and instead launched into their new sales campaign "Driving Innovation," which includes new product launches they hope will break them out of the red. Other goals announced include those of another color, green.

Ford plans to have 250,000 hybrids on the road by 2010, and a quarter-million E85 compatible vehicles road-ready by the same time. Click here for more.

Lexus
With record sales and a flurry of new models, Lexus has been on a roll. Expect the Japanese luxury brand to keep the pressure on Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac with several significant new models in 2007.

Earlier this year, Lexus introduced two new cars, the IS and GS. Both are mainstream luxury sedans. However, at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, Toyota's top brand took the wraps off a completely redesigned flagship, the new LS. Click here for more.

Mercedes-Benz
Parent-company DaimlerChrysler just wrapped up its 12th consecutive year of profitability. The automaker is making global growth a top goal this year, with plans to capture the U.S. market with diesel-powered versions of their redesigned 8th-generation S-Class as well as the new GL-Class. For example, the E320 CDI, currently on sale in the U.S., gets an appealing 35 miles per gallon. 

"Diesel" was the buzzword at the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class unveiling. Fifty percent of Mercedes-Benz models sold in Europe are diesel powered, and the automaker believes that there's room for multiple propulsion technologies in the U.S. market as well. Click here for more.

Chrysler Group
DaimlerChrysler's design teams in California and Michigan were given a challenge: design a vehicle based on the same platform, but with two different audiences and brands in mind.

On Monday, the Chrysler Group unveiled two new Jeep products--the Wrangler and Compass. Tuesday, the new Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Aspen debuted. Click here for more.

Honda
At the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, top brass at Honda sounded like a broken record as they rattled off a list of awards garnered by the new-for-'06 Ridgeline pickup and Civic models. Perhaps the biggest win of all came on the first day of the show when Civic was named North American Car of the Year and Ridgeline was named North American Truck of the Year.  

At the Honda press conference, the Japanese automaker announced that it will begin production of the next generation FCX hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle in three to four years and also took the wraps off an all-new small car, slotted below Civic. Click here for more.

Lincoln-Mercury
Lincoln's recipe for success includes eschewing the group's hum-drum branding of years past in order to transform themselves into "America's luxury-vehicle brand." That spot is currently held by rival brand, Cadillac. 

Zephyr was the first new Lincoln to embody the group's new image and brand plan, followed by 2007 MKX SUV revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. Further down the line, Lincoln showed consumers what could be next with the luxury-oriented MKS concept sedan also shown at the show. Clickhere for more.

Nissan
Throughout the past six years, Nissan has doubled both their sales figures and the number of models offered in their lineup. In 2005, the Japanese auto manufacturer showed a 9.2 percent profit margin and sales were up 10.3 percent. 
 
Nissan used the 2006 Detroit Auto Show to unveil a flurry of new products and tout their success with CVT technology. The group first used the transmission in 1992, and has plans to expand its use to nearly all vehicles in its lineup, including the 2007 Versa and redesigned Sentra unveiled at the show. Click here for more.

Jaguar and Volvo
Ford's Premium Automotive Group (Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo) glossed over Jaguar's financial losses at the Detroit Auto Show, and announced that for the first time since Ford acquired all four premium brands, three out of the four brands are in the black.

Land Rover sales were up 30 percent in 2005, due to the arrival of Range Rover Sport and LR3. Volvo has an aggressive new-product strategy, and will introduce five new models in 18 months. Jaguar is hoping a similar product renaissance will bring the brand back to black. The groups showed their latest efforts, the Jaguar XK convertible and the Volvo C30 Design Concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Click here for more.

Acura
This year marks the 20th anniversary for Honda's luxury division, Acura. The past year was Acura's best, with annual sales topping 210,000 units.

At the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, Acura unveiled a second SUV to complement its best-selling MDX. The 5-passenger RDX is smaller than MDX, competes with BMW's X3 and the new Lincoln MKX and sports an Acura-first turbocharged engine. Click here for more.

Mitsubishi
After navigating some large bumps in the road, Mitsubishi now seems to be cruising much smoother terrain. The group links their brand's budding revival in the public eye to a rise in the popularity of Japanese pop culture.

Continuing their journey toward profitability, Mitsubishi promised to add more new products in 2006. At the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, the Japanese automaker unveiled the 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and Concept-CT. Click here for more.

Kia
Kia Motors America wrapped up its 12th consecutive year of increased sales figures. In order to keep growing, the South Korean automaker plans to unveil one to two all-new products a year.

Starting off its redesign campaign is the new Kia Optima, unveiled in Detroit. Also, in order to give consumers a hint of Kia's new design direction, the group showed the Soul concept as well. Click here for more.

Mazda
Last week, Mazda unveiled the all-new CX-7 crossover-utility vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It joins Tribute in Mazda's SUV lineup.

At the Detroit Auto Show, Mazda unveiled a new sports-coupe concept, the Kabura. The Japanese automaker also showed two hybrid vehicles, the Mazda 5 Hydrogen Hybrid and the Tribute Hybrid. The 5 Hydrogen Hybrid utilizes a rotary engine that can run on either hydrogen or gasoline, and the Tribute Hybrid is the long-awaited complement to the Ford Escape Hybrid. Click here for more.

BMW and MINI
BMW touted an '05 sales increase of 9.9 percent. That growth enabled BMW to surpass Mercedes-Benz as the worlds largest maker of luxury cars. BMW's MINI brand also experienced considerable growth with the addition of a ragtop model.

At the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, BMW introduced a redesigned Z4 ragtop, an M Roadster, and the latest take on the MINI Traveller Concept that debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show. In addition, the German automaker displayed its BMW Active Hybrid Drive concept. Click here for more.

Hyundai
This year marks Hyundai's 20th selling vehicles in the United States, and company officials have set an aggressive sales goal of 500,000 units for 2006. To reach this goal, Hyundai announced a plan to introduce seven new products over the next two years, including the Azera luxury sedan and an unnamed minivan that will be unveiled at an auto show later this year.

At the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai presented a completely redesigned Santa Fe that grows from compact to "almost" midsize, and another in the company's long line of HCD concept sports cars. Click here for more.

Infiniti
In 2005, Infiniti sold an all-time high of 136,401 vehicles, an increase of 4.5 percent over calendar-year 2004 sales. It was the premium brand's fourth straight year of record sales.

Parent-company Nissan had a huge show with three significant vehicle unveilings: a redesigned Sentra, an all-new Versa, and an intriguing concept called Urge. Meanwhile, Infiniti quietly introduced the Coupe Concept, perhaps the most striking vehicle at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for more.

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