The time has finally come, the New York Auto Show came and went. The last major U.S. auto show of the season. If you ask many in the industry, you might hear a collective sigh of relief. Last week was a flurry of press conferences and vehicle reveals.

As you might expect, some were great, but there were definitely some winners and losers. Of course, we must mention the WTF section as well. So without further delay, let’s jump into it.

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.

The redesigned 2011 Chrysler 300 took a leap forward in refinement, but the large sedan's makeover didn't come with an SRT8 variant. No worries, though, because the all-new, more powerful and damn sharp-looking 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 is debuting today at the 2011 New York Auto Show.

Gallery: 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8

 This is not the first we've seen of the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, but it is the best we've seen. Previously, camoed versions running on mid-grade rubber had been spotted carrying, we presume, a 465-horsepower 6.4-liter V8.

 This is not the first we've seen of the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, but it is the best we've seen. Previously, camoed versions running on mid-grade rubber had been spotted carrying, we presume, a 465-horsepower 6.4-liter V8.

This 470 horsepower machine promises a balanced performance approach with outstanding straight-line acceleration, world-class ride and handling, high-performance braking and the most up-to-date technologies that deliver more driver excitement and control. And it still gets up to 23 miles per gallon on the highway.

Mopar Underground has unleashed their Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR on the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor and it’s every bit as awesome as we expected. The Challenger SRT8 392 has been influenced by the Viper SRT10 ACR’s styling while the 392 under the hood packs even more punch with Mopar’s custom headers and cat-back exhaust.