DETROIT (CNN/Money) - Looking to shake off a chilly sales forecast for 2003, automakers at Detroit's North American International Auto Show rolled out several models Monday designed to keep consumers peeking into dealership windows.

Manufacturers may be pledging fealty to the environment -- General Motors Corp. announced it would offer advanced high-mileage technology in up to 12 models and up to 1 million cars and trucks by 2007 -- but many of the coming models are paeans to old-fashioned, bare-knuckled horsepower.

No automaker faces a more critical launch than Ford Motor Co. Its F-Series pickup has been America's best-selling vehicle for 21 years, accounting for 25 percent of the carmaker's total sales. Lavishly redesigned over 3 years, at a cost of $1.8 billion, the F-Series is a make-or-break proposition for Ford, especially with growing pickup competition from Chevy, Dodge, Toyota and Nissan's upcoming full-size Titan.

The Detroit show opens to the public Jan. 11. From pickups to performance cars, here are highlights from the Auto Show's press previews:

Nissan Titan

Japanese automakers are storming the light truck stronghold of the domestics, and the Nissan Titan is a genuine full-size pickup that literally measures up to Ford, Dodge and Chevy. On sale in December, the Titan offers King Cab and Crew Cab configurations, two bed lengths and a choice of all-wheel-drive. A new 5.6-liter V8 is the only engine, with 300-plus horsepower and more than 375 pound-feet of torque. The Titan will be preceded by a full-size Nissan SUV, with both models built at its new Canton, Miss. plant.

Acura TSX

The sprightly Acura TSX sedan -- a lightly modified version of the smaller, European-spec Honda Accord never before imported to the United States -- goes on sale in coming months. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder I-VTEC engine manages 200 horsepower. With a price likely between $25,000 and $30,000, the TSX offers a six-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic with sport shift function.

2004 Lexus RX 330

The RX 300 started the crossover-SUV craze in 1998. And with some automakers just getting their feet wet in the segment, Lexus delivers the second-generation version, the RX 330. It goes on sale this spring. Six inches longer than the original, with a four-inch stretch in wheelbase, the luxurious RX 330 is roomier and more powerful, with its 3.3-liter, 230-horsepower V-6. All-wheel-drive is optional, as are 18-inch wheels. Lexus expects to sell 75,000 RX's each year. They will be built both in Kyushu, Japan and Cambridge, Ontario, making it the first Lexus model built in North America.

Lexus also announced it would sell a gas-electric hybrid version of the RX 330 in about two years, powered by its new high-performance Hybrid Synergy Drive system. A pair of electric motors powers both front and rear wheels, in a system that can be configured to favor either power or fuel economy. Toyota Motor Corp. president Fujio Cho said the system would help Toyota meet its goal to have 300,000 hybrids on the world's roads by mid-decade.

2004 Subaru WRX STi

The rally wars begun by the WRX are on, with the Mitsubishi Evolution VIII and Volkswagen Golf R32 coming to take on the brilliantly successful WRX. To nose out the pack, Subaru rolls out the WRX STi this summer, with all-wheel-drive, 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque from its 2.5-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine. Subaru officials expect a 0-60 mph time under 5.0 seconds. The $30,000-plus STi shows off 17-inch wheels, massive Brembo brakes, an enlarged hood scoop, ground effects and a rear decklid spoiler tall enough to hang laundry from.

2004 Chevrolet Colorado

A replacement for the S-10 pickup, the Colorado goes on sale in fall, along with its GMC Canyon sibling. Substantially larger than previous-generation compact pickups, this Chevy will offer regular, crew and extended-cab models, in either two- or four-wheel drive. Inline four- and five-cylinder engines -- at a respective 175 and 220 horsepower -- are derived from the excellent inline 6 in the Chevy TrailBlazer SUV.

2004 Chevrolet Malibu

Chevy is hoping the Malibu, when it goes on sale this summer, can rival the sales of top midsizes including the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Built on GM's global midsize "Epsilon" platform, also the basis for the Saab 9-3 and Europe's Opel Vectra, the Malibu offers a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine with 140 horsepower, or GM's new "high-feature" 3.5-liter V-6 with roughly 250 horsepower. Sedan models will be followed by a wagon-esque version called the Malibu Maxx.

Rolls-Royce Phantom

The first Rolls designed by new owner BMW, the Phantom blends tradition and modernity in a roughly $300,000 luxury package. Built around an aluminum space frame, the Phantom will offer a 460-horsepower V-12 engine said to drive the car from 0-60 in 5.7 seconds.

BMW claims highway fuel economy over 21 mpg, impressive for such a massive machine. The Phantom features an upgraded version of BMW's controversial iDrive system that manages audio, navigation and other functions. And the classic Flying Lady hood ornament (precisely, the "Spirit of Ecstasy") retracts when the car is parked to discourage thievery.

2004 Ford F-Series

A few critics have questioned whether the new F-Series is too sumptuous, even feminine. (The same charges were levied against the current F-Series in 1997, which laid them to rest by steadily increasing sales to a record of more than 800,000 last year).

The F-Series will offer five models when it goes on sale this summer -- from the workhorse F-150 XL to the luxury Lariat -- each with a distinctive interior that continues Ford's recent, notable strides in cabin appointments. Passenger compartments are six inches longer, creating interior space to rival the class-leading Dodge Ram. Ford is touting a vastly more rigid chassis for improved ride and handling, huge brakes and class-leading cargo and towing capacity. Power comes from a 5.4-liter Triton V-8 with 300 horsepower. Ford's high-performance SVT division -- whose current F-150 Lightning pumps out 385 horsepower -- showed a concept version of the latest pickup with 500 horsepower from its supercharged V-8. Coincidentally or not, that's precisely the output of Ford's upcoming performance pickup rival, the Viper-powered Dodge Ram SRT-10.

Aston Martin AMV8 Vantage

An affordable Aston? Sure, if you call a car in the $90,000 to $100,000 range affordable. The AMV8, going into production in 2005, could give Ford's ultra-low-volume British luxury brand a competitor to the Porsche 911. A convertible or other variants could be added to the racy coupe model, likely powered by a 4.3-liter, 350-horsepower V-8. Aston plans to build as many as 5,000 copies of the car annually at a new plant in Gaydon, England -- an astounding number for a marque that's built only 18,000 cars in its nearly century-long existence.

2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon

The E-Class, Mercedes' bread-and-butter vehicle around the world, adds a sleek wagon model to the all-new sedan introduced last year. Benz technology abounds, including an all-new easy-pack system with an optional hydraulic loading floor that slides out of the tailgate to simplify loading of heavy gear. Both E 320 and E 500 wagons will offer the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, now also available on the 2003 C-Class lineup. A diesel-powered E 320 CDI version will also reach U.S. consumers when the wagon goes on sale late in 2003.

2004 Mercedes-Benz SL 600

A steroid version of the acclaimed new SL 500 convertible, the SL 600 goes on sale in late 2003. It's driven by a 5.5-liter, bi-turbo V-12 producing 493 horsepower and a breathtaking 590 pound-feet of torque. This technological tour-de-force features' Mercedes ABC active suspension system for dead-flat cornering, along with electronic brakes and ESP stability control. As in the SL 500, a fast-acting retractable hardtop converts the 600 from a hardtop coupe to a roadster in just 16 seconds.

Dodge Magnum

Calling it "the new shape of American muscle," DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche introduced the Dodge Magnum, a roomy, 430-horsepower sport wagon. Coming to dealerships in early 2004, the Magnum is significant as the first example of Dodge's new rear-wheel-drive LX platform, which will also underpin new versions of models such as the Chrysler 300M. While the upcoming Chrysler Crossfire shares its engine and several components with the Mercedes SLK, Zetsche said the Magnum is the first application of Mercedes technology in a high-volume Chrysler model. The Magnum is powered by a supercharged 5.4-liter engine using Chrysler's legendary "HEMI" cylinder head, also found on the 345-horsepower engine in Ram pickups.

2004 Toyota Sienna

Minivans can seem so frumpy, yet the segment still accounts for more than 1 million sales each year. Seeking to establish itself as a genuine player, Toyota debuted an all-new Sienna, coming to dealerships in March at a base price of $22,995. Toyota claims the Sienna will deliver ultra-low emissions, along with best-in-class cargo and interior space. Available in front- or all-wheel-drive, it's substantially longer and wider than the current Sienna, with 44 more cubic feet of interior space. Largely designed and engineered in the United States, and built at Toyota's Princeton, Ind. facility, the Sienna will get more than 90 percent of its parts from North American sources. With seating for 7 or 8 passengers, the Sienna features a split, flat-folding third row seat. A 3.3-liter V-6 delivers 230 horsepower, good for a Toyota-estimated 25 mpg on the highway, and a class-leading 0-60 mph time of 8.4 seconds.

Nissan Quest

Nissan hopes to shake up the staid minivan world in its own way with the Quest, on sale in July. The largest minivan among current front-drive models, the Quest features flat folding seats in second and third rows, and a 230-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6. The Quest will be built at Nissans' new, $1.4 billion facility in Canton, Miss., which will also produce the upcoming Titan full-size pickup, along with an unnamed full-size SUV. The Quest shares its basic platform with the Altima and Maxima sedans, and like the Maxima features the glass-paneled Skyview roof.

2004 Nissan Maxima

On sale in March, the sixth generation of Nissan's top-shelf sport sedan will try to prove there's still room for a Maxima in a crowded Nissan sedan field that includes the Altima and Infiniti G35. Sharing the Altima's acclaimed front-drive platform, the sport-oriented Maxima gets power from Nissan's ubiquitous 3.5-liter V-6 -- here making 260-plus horsepower. Styling is more chiseled and distinctive, and new features include dual chrome exhaust outlets and 18-inch wheels on the SE model. A standard "Skyview" roof covers most of the front and rear seats, while an optional 4-seat layout features twin buckets for rear passengers.

2004 BMW X Activity

A smaller sibling of the popular X5 sport-ute, the X Activity is expected to go on sale in late 2003 as a 2004 model. Once in production, it will be called the X3. Drawing suspension and other components from the BMW 3-Series, the X Activity shown in Detroit features a huge sliding roof that's unlikely to reach production. Power comes from the 3-Series' inline 3.0-liter six; pricing will come in under the X5, company officials said.