It's a distinctly American trait to want what's next—even before it's here. Yes, Americans are spoiled, with too many choices in every genre of product, especially cars. But so what? This is the place where cars blossomed, where the first (and arguably best) car culture still exists. And where we haven't stopped loving—and lusting after—the cool car around the next bend. With that in mind, here's PM's calendar of 12 cool cars under $50,000 that will go on sale in the next 18 months. Note that the exact dates may not be 100 percent accurate: The timetable is based on what the notoriously vague car flacks told us. So we've pried free what info we could, and we share it with you here.

It's a distinctly American trait to want what's next—even before it's here. Yes, Americans are spoiled, with too many choices in every genre of product, especially cars. But so what? This is the place where cars blossomed, where the first (and arguably best) car culture still exists. And where we haven't stopped loving—and lusting after—the cool car around the next bend. With that in mind, here's PM's calendar of 12 cool cars under $50,000 that will go on sale in the next 18 months. Note that the exact dates may not be 100 percent accurate: The timetable is based on what the notoriously vague car flacks told us. So we've pried free what info we could, and we share it with you here.

Scion is headed to SEMA 2011 with a total of seven concept cars tuned by some of the most creative customizers around. Cartel, Dynamic, 686, Michael Chang, Jon Sibal and Tatsu have all turned their attentions toward the automaker's lineup, and the results are as varied as the shops that built them. The newest addition to the Scion stable, the tiny iQ, looks to have received most of the attention this year around, with a total of four iQ concepts headed to the sands of Las Vegas. One of the wildest has to be the iQ Pit Boss by Cartel.

The Scion iQ has still yet to go on sale, but Scion came out in full force with their new subcompact, presenting a multitude of concepts aimed at all corners of the aftermarket segment.

The Pit Boss iQ by Cartel is the wildest interpretation of the iQ we’ve seen so far, with the roof completely chopped off and an electric blue paint scheme applied. Massive 18″ wheels and an iPad with an integrated Wi-Fi hotspot are also included, though it adds an extra element of danger in the event of rain.<.p>

Rendering wizard and friend of Autoblog Jon Sibal (above left) managed to beat out a race-prepped iQ and a mid-engine version of the ultra-compact to take the win at this year's Scion Tuner Challenge at SEMA.

Sibal, who's brought a range of vehicles to Vegas in the past, partnered up with Veilside and Mike Vu (above right) to create one particularly insane creation fitted with a $7,000 prototype Veilside body kit, a special brew of matte bronze 3M paint and a 32-inch flatscreen fitted to a motorized mount that allows it to fit flush in the trunk. And there's apparently still room for groceries.