DETROIT — While Dodge executives paraded the company's latest NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers—Kurt Busch, Elliot Sadler and former Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya—across the stage, most everyone in the audience was gazing at the covered car at the edge of the stage. Few of us really wondered what was under the cover; we all really kind of knew.

And when the cover was pulled off, the flashes popped, and there it was: a NASCAR Nextel Cup "car of tomorrow" in bright red Dodge livery. The only possibly surprising thing about the car was that it was badged Avenger—with badges being the only way to differentiate one maker's "car of tomorrow" from another's.

Oh, that's right, almost forgot. This was the introduction of the new Dodge Avenger, the mid-size, front-drive sedan that we've been writing about for months. Essentially the Dodge version of the Chrysler Sebring, the four-door shares that car's most critical features, including the heated cup holders and dashboard bin that's cooler than the rest of the dash. Guess you can warm up your Snapple and cool off your mocha latte. Whatever.

And with that auspicious debut, the major product announcements at the 2007 North American International Automobile Show ended. The rest of today's press conferences are for suppliers and various organizations. That means we can finally walk around the show floor and see all the cars and trucks we haven't yet had a chance to look at. We also get to buttonhole some of our favorite executives, insiders and colleagues to get some other points of view about the show. —Don Chaikin

Click here for complete coverage of the 2007 North American International Automobile Show in Detroit.