Vive l'automobile! A preview of the 2006 Paris Auto Show

This week we're off to Paris for the biennial Mondial de l'Automobile (that's the Paris Auto show, for those of us who don't speak the old lingua franca). Paris may be the City of Light and the capital of romance, but we won't have time for those kinds of shenanigans as we'll be busy bringing you all the latest news and close-up first looks from the exhibit floor, starting two days before the show officially opens to the public.

The Paris show is the first major international event of the new auto season, and the 2007 model year is packed with a ton of new releases; model upgrades; and weird, wonderful, and world-saving concepts.

Here are some of the highlights of the show that we'll be looking out for:

Honda will be showing off its all-new CR-V, as well as two new Civics in the form of the 198-horsepower Type R and the Type S Hybrid, the world's first two-door hybrid sports car. It will also be promoting the next generation of its FCX fuel-cell vehicle.

Volvo will unveil its C-30 compact sports coupe, signaling a new chapter in the stalwart Swedish automaker's history.

Alfa Romeo will be touting its Brera, which will be one of the first models that the iconic Italian marque will launch on its return to North America in 2009

Dodge and Chevrolet will be putting forward their visions for the future, showing off the brawny Avenger and the supersporty WTCC Ultra concepts, respectively.

Chrysler will be taking the wrapper of its 2007 Sebring, which comes complete with a built-in 20GB hard drive for turning the car into a mobile media library.

Porsche is to launch four new models at the show, including the blazingly fast 2007 911 GT3 RS.

Lexus will be parading its obscenely luxurious and eco-friendly 2008 LS600h.

Peugeot will be unveiling two groundbreaking concepts in the form of the 908RC, a diesel-powered supercar, and the hydrogen fuel cell-powered 207 Epure.

All this, plus new releases from Nissan, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, and loads of the latest road-related technology. Keep it with CNET Car Tech for up-to-the-minute reportage from inside the ropes at the 2006 Paris Auto Show.