Hottest Cars for 2007

After a decade or more of SUVs hogging the spotlight (and the road) with their rugged, go-anywhere cachet, cars are once again gaining an advantage. Fuel economy may be the main reason interest is shifting away from bulky SUVs toward more-efficient cars: Sedans, coupes and wagons available for sale in the U.S. in 2006 are expected to average 24.6 mpg, while SUVs will likely average about 18.5 mpg, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Gas prices aside, there are plenty of other trends that confirm why cars are an attractive choice — including exciting, or at least interesting, design with better, more-versatile interiors and bolder, more-memorable exteriors as well as all-around higher quality.

Significant leaps in safety technology, including advanced braking systems and lane-departure warnings, also gird the car segment. Plus, carmakers squeeze evermore power out of their engines each year.

More than 30 new luxury and high-performance models are flooding the market, evidence that the already-stiff competition is intensifying. We've split the car universe into sedans, coupes, convertibles and wagons. Pick a category to see what's hot for 2007.