Here at MotorWeek, we look forward to the holidays just as much as everyone else, but for a different reason. We love the holidays because we know that the North American International Auto Show is just around the corner. So join us for a speedy tour of all the new concepts and production cars that Detroit had to offer this year.

A fittingly balmy and upbeat January day greeted the kickoff of press days in Detroit as the auto industry celebrated a third consecutive year of growing sales.

Ford set the aggressive tone for resurging domestic automakers with a total rework of its highest volume carline. On sale this fall, the 2013 Ford Fusion cast aside the safe look of old for a modern set of sheet metal curves that follow the Euro-fashion already seen on the Focus and Fiesta. Ford’s new mid-size four-door will also join the trend of four-cylinder power only with the top motor an Eco-boost turbo-4. But it the Fusion Hybrid that will pegged our fuel economy meter with an anticipated 47 MPG City rating.

For Mustang fans, Shelby American was celebrating 50 years of pony car excitement with special editions including a 750-horsepower Shelby GT 500 Supersnake.

With the Ford brand working on all cylinders, Lincoln is now getting more attention, and its own styling direction, as this MKZ concept graphically shows. With a vintage split Lincoln grille finally looking both bold and elegant, this four-door coupe form is almost a dead ringer for the brand’s new Fusion-based mid-sizer.

Concepts were front and center at Chevrolet as well, but with a twist. Both the Chevrolet Code 130R and Tru 140S are aimed at the under 30 Scion-buyer who embraces two-doors more than the rest of the buying public. Reminding us of the BMW 1-Series, Chevy’s rear-drive Code 130R is most conventional. This four-seater boast lots of Camaro details affixed to a table top body. The Tru 140S on the other hand, is low and sleek. It uses both the front drive Cruze chassis and 1.4-liter turbo-4. Chevy is asking potential buyers which one they would like to see produced.

One small car that will be produced is the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS hatchback. The RS performance upgrade begins at the grille and extends to the wheels, brakes, suspension, interior, all the way to a shorter-ratio manual or tweaked automatic that adds a little extra zing to its 1.4-liter turbo-4.

Buick continues to reshape their premium image by jumping ahead of the market with this Encore ultra-compact crossover. Slightly longer than a Mini Cooper Countryman, and looking inside and out very much like a shrunken Buick Enclave, the Sonic-based Encore also sports 1.4 turbo power along with 30 MPG economy.

One of the worst kept secrets in years is the new compact Cadillac sedan, the ATS. Wearing a toned down version of the brand’s Art & Science styling, the ATS sports the lightweight build and super agile response needed to be a direct competitor to the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4. With an all-new rear and all-wheel drive chassis, power will include two four cylinders and the 3.6 V6 from the larger CTS.

Rapidly gaining respect and market share is the Chrysler Group. And, putting the heritage Dodge Dart name on a thoroughly modern car could push those levels much higher. With a low hanging Charger-style front fascia accented by projector and LED lighting, the rest of the body lines speak fluent European four-door coupe. The interior is also upscale with soft materials, muted lighting, virtual gauges, the largest Nav screen in its class, and clever under the front passenger seat storage.  

Three inches longer than a Chevy Cruze, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta based compact offers a 160-horsepower 2-liter-4, or one of two high efficiency MultiAir motors, a 2.4-liter and 1.4-liter turbo.

This Chrysler 700C minivan concept debuted with no fanfare. A styling exercise that asks the question will America accept a bread-and-butter people mover that’s more than a box. Chrysler is also stepping up its performance image through the Mopar parts brand. They literally raised the hood on this wild Dodge Charger Redline to showoff kits that include cosmetic, suspension, and a 590 horsepower Hemi V8 upgrade for true tuner car status.

While Motown brands were the stars, there were dozens of off-shore nameplates with new stuff to strut in Detroit. This Detroit Auto Show was all about greater things coming in smaller, more efficient, and very good looking packages. That’s clearly how 50 independent journalists saw it as they picked the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year.

Truck honors went to Land Rover for its high-fashion Range Rover Evouqe crossover utility. While the swoopy, 40 MPG Hyundai Elantra sedan drove away with the top car honors for 2012.

Toyota echoed that same theme with the production version of the citified Prius C hatchback. The Prii clan’s fourth and smallest hybrid arrives this spring with an industry best City fuel economy rating of 53 MPG.  Toyota gave us a future view with this rakish NS4 concept. More than an advanced plug-in hybrid, it showcases how Toyota thinks the human-to-car interface will evolve. Using a large touch screen, the car literally remembers a driver’s habits and choices.

An even more radical hybrid took center stage for Toyota’s Lexus luxury brand, the LF-LC. From its accentuated spindle grille, to jet-engine exhaust taillights, many of the 2-plus-2 coupe’s complex details will show up on near-term production cars.

Toyota’s main rival, Honda, sought to regain some momentum by teasing the next mid-size Accord. This thinly veiled Coupe concept shows somewhat bolder styling than we’re used from Accord. The real mid-size coupe and sedan arrive this fall.

Detroit was a rebirth for Honda’s Acura luxury brand. This new NSX hybrid concept promises a real V6-electric all-wheel drive exotic sports car in three years. In the interim, the compact TSX sport sedan will be replaced by this Civic-based ILX four-door, and the brands compact RDX crossover gets a needed redo with a V6 replacing it’s turbo-4.

Nissan brought one of the few new trucks to Detroit, the redesigned Pathfinder utility. With a new unitized chassis, this three row crossover also arrives in fall.

Sweden’s Volvo revealed the latest of its hybrid plans with this all-wheel drive XC60 Plug-In Hybrid. Gas-electric powers the front wheels, with electric only in the rear.

Long a clean diesel advocate, Volkswagen now wants to be a force in hybrids. This Jetta Hybrid couples a 27-horsepower electric motor with a 150-horse gas engine for a combined fuel economy of 45 MPG. But, we doubt this VW E-Bugster will ever reach showrooms. A chopped-top, all-electric Beetle concept that nearly stole the show.

Audi used this Vail concept of their ultra-compact Q3 crossover to announce it would finally arrive here in 2014. When Audi’s smoother A4/S4 arrives for 2013, we won’t get a new A4 Avant wagon. But, we will get a new A4 All Road crossover.

VW’s prestigious Bentley brand unveiled a new Continental GT with a more environmentally friendly, if still 500-horsepower, twin-turbo V8 instead of the usual bi-turbo W12.

Mercedes-Benz drew our attention to its lighter SL 550 roadster. The aluminum-bodied two-seater sports a 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8. But the brand was heaviest on fuel efficient sedans. The E400 Hybrid, a full-gasoline-electric hybrid that goes on sale here next fall, and the E300 BlueTec Hybrid, a Europe-only diesel-electric. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Smart brand amused the press corps with its This For-Us mini electric pickup.

BMW strengthened the impact of its redesigned 3-Series by announcing the Active Hybird 3 with a 37 MPG rating. BMW’s Mini brand smoked out the audience with its new Roadster, an open-air version of the also new Coupe.

Porsche picked Detroit to make two additions to its all-new 911 portfolio - cloth-top convertible versions of both the Carrera and Carrera S.

Two-door hardtops got the most attention at red-hot Hyundai. This summer the front-drive Veloster coupe adds a badly needed 201-horsepower turbo-4. Meanwhile, the rear-drive Genesis Coupe gets a pretty through freshening also with more power.

Doing the same or more, and better while using a bit less. A good year’s resolution, and a lasting impression from the 2012 North American International Auto Show.