Top 10 Auto Show Studs: L.A. and Detroit

They can’t all be winners, and usually, they’re not. More than 100 new production and concept vehicles debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show and North American International Auto Show in January, each hoping to capture the imagination – and ultimately, the expendable income – of potential customers through design, innovation, sensibility, or value. But only a few will manage to achieve real success if, or when, they reach the marketplace.

To form this top ten list, our editors selected the ten best cars and trucks from both shows, ranking the vehicles in order of preference. These are the vehicles that most captured our interest during a week of press conferences, the models that we predict will become big hits in showrooms, and the concepts that we hope will find their way down a production line in the near future.

Some of our selections are obvious – Chevrolet Camaro Concept, anyone? Others are rather surprising choices, and at least one vehicle polarized our staff enough to land on both this “studs” ranking and our “duds” list. Though you might be dismayed to find that several mainstream models like the completely redesigned 2007 Toyota Camry don’t make the cut, remember that the majority of the debuts are deemed neither studs nor duds. Its not that cars like the new Camry won’t prove to be sales studs when they roll onto American roads, it’s just that they don’t represent the cream of the crop, the most desirable and impressive new production and concept cars to come of out of L.A. and Detroit. With this list we’re for extra spicy, not bland.