2011 Fiat 500 Coupé Zagato Concept

This year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show is buzzing with concept models of all sorts of sizes and shapes. The one you see pictured above is based on the popular Fiat 500 mini and is the result of the collaboration between the Fiat Group Automobiles' Centro Stile and the Zagato design house.

Showcased at the Fiat stand, the "500 Coupé Zagato" is said to have been inspired by the namesake predecessor built in the 1950 by the famous Italian bodyworker on the chassis of the original 500.

From the window line and below, the 500 concept is identical to the standard three-door hatchback model. However, the concept gets a completely new top with a sloping coupe-like roof featuring Zagato's trademark double-bubble design.

Other features include the burnished chrome exterior elements, 17-inch chrome shadow alloy wheelss with a brand new double spoked shape and synthetic inserts wrapped in 205/40 R17 tires and 4 perforated brake discs.

The concept is 3,550 mm long, 1,630 mm wide and 1,490 mm high, with a 2,300 mm wheelbase. Inside, Fiat says the 500 Coupe gets a 2+2 seating layout and a bespoke interior with sporty "diamond" seats trimmed in black and yellow two-tone leathers and other unique features.

Power for the 500 Coupé Zagato is provided by Fiat's turbocharged two-cylinder gasoline unit with 105 HP at 5,500 rpm and 155 Nm (114 lb-ft) of peak torque at 2,500 rpm, which promises reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of just 95 g/km.

2011 Volkswagen R

Get ready for four new Golf concepts from Volkswagen, all based on the recently hotted-up Golf R. With these four Golfs, Volkswagen R GmbH hopes to explore the themes of "especially high-end" and "especially sporty".

The more luxurious Golfs feature unique paint (Oryx White and Carbon Steel Grey), 19-inch Talladegas, aluminum trim, and Nappa leather interiors crafted by Volkswagen R Exclusive. The white one wears St. Tropez over black leather, while the dark gray one dons Almandine Red over black.

The two sporty Golfs come in Space Grey and Aplomb Blue and come with carbon fiber trim and mirror caps, racing buckets, and mo' Nappa. Of the sporty interpretations, the light gray one gets Pure Grey over Light Anthracite leather with orange piping, piano black seat backs, polished Talldega wheels, and orange brake calipers.

The blue one rolls on Brilliant Silver 19-inch Glendales; its buckets are wrapped in blue and black leather and have carbon fiber shells, while the steering wheel gets a small helping of carbon leather.

It's good to see Volkswagen's R GmbH doing its part to keep the customer individualization train running. Next stop: Jetta?

Geneva 2011: Lotus Keeps its Evora Debuts Simple but Significant with Mansory in the Mix

After Lotus blew its proverbial head gaskets all over the Paris stage with a futuristic lineup consisting of a sedan and no less than four coupes, simplicity was the name of the game for the 2011 Geneva motor show. Lotus brought two special edition Evoras, a relatively low-key showing in stark contrast to its behavior in France last year.

Before you roll your eyes thinking, "Christ, another special edition blah blah blah," one of these two new Evoras is very different than another special edition Mustang or Bugatti.

The Mansory Evora comes from the union of two weight-conscious companies; Lotus prides itself on keeping its vehicles trim, while Mansory "provides valuable insights and an intuitive feeling for [high-end customisation]" while also offering "state-of-the-art carbon components".

Mansory's Lotus is dubbed the Lotus Bespoke Concept and is kind of a big deal because it establishes a relationship between a respected manufacturer and well-known tuner. You may recall Mansory from their various efforts tackling high-end vehicle customization. If all goes well, we just might be witnessing the next in-house tuner coming around.

Lotus calls the Mansory Evora an "Individualization Concept Car"; with it, the industry's resident featherweight hopes to develop its own "Exclusive" / "Individual" program for customer's seeking a coachbuilt feel. The other Evora isn't as significant consumer-wise as the Mansory model, but is important nonetheless.

The Evora Enduro GT concept is an evolution of the current Lotus Evora GT4 Endurance and will serve as the platform from which FIA and ACO GT2/GTE racers will be built. That means we'll likely see this at a variety of upcoming 24-hour enduros including the Nürburgring, Spa, and Silverstone.

2011Toyota FT-86 II Concept

Toyota has revealed photos of the second iteration of its FT-86 Concept car that is said to be very close to the actual production version due to go on sale in 2012. The Geneva Motor Show FT-86 II features several styling differences over the original concept shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

First off, Toyota's designers restyled the coupe's profile by eliminating the lower swoop line and adding a new beltline that starts from the front wheel arch with a cheesy air vent and finishes off on the tip of the rear window, which itself has grown in size. In addition, Toyota also split the front window and abolished the blacked out A-Column finish, while the rear wheel arches are more pronounced and there are new side rocker panels.

At the front end there's a new bumper with a larger center grille and more concave surfaces on both corners, while Toyota also threw in a pair of gaudy looking LED daytime running lights.

Finally, Toyota revamped the FT-86's rear end with new standalone, protruding tail lamps and a different treatment for the bumper that houses a more pronounced diffuser and large tail pipes on either side. The re-sculptured boot lid and the fitment of a fixed wing round off the styling changes.

The overall feeling we get is that Toyota went all 'Fast and Furious' with the FT-86's redesign making the coupe look unnecessary busy and ultimately, far less sleek compared to the original concept.

The company said the new concept measures 4,235mm long, 1,795mm wide and 1,270mm high, meaning it has grown 75mm in length, 35mm in width, and 10mm in height while riding on the same 2,570mm long wheelbase as the FT-86 I.

The rest of the specs remain a secret for now as the only details we know for sure is that the FT-86 will get a Subaru-sourced boxer engine with power being delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The same setup will be used on Subaru's version of the FT-86 that was also on display at the Geneva Motor Show, albeit with a see-through plastic body.

As always, we'd like to hear what you have to say about the FT-86 II in our comments section below.