Cooper Tires Meshback Hat Cap, Advantage Timber Camo, Adjustable on 2040-parts.com

Carbon-fiber parts and a software fix help create a lighter, faster Fiat

Chrysler Group's Mopar parts brand and Italian supplier Magneti Marelli have teamed up on a design exercise based on the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth that shaved weight and added horsepower. The vehicle, called the Venom, has a number of carbon fiber components -- hood and side mirrors, for example -- that makes it about 200 pounds lighter than the 2,512-pound Abarth. The Venom uses software updates and additional exhaust components to boost the Abarth's standard 160-hp 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output by as much as 25 percent.

Italdesign Giugiaro debuts electric Clipper MPV

The Volkswagen T-ROC wasn't the only Geneva Motor Show concept unveiled this week that uses the Golf platform, Italdesign Giugiaro unveiled an MPV concept that managed to turn quite a few heads. Italdesign is owned by Volkswagen, so this design and engineering exercise seemed like a no-brainer, allowing the company to show off an extra concept car in an entirely different wrapper. The Clipper an all-wheel drive six-seat MPV sitting on the MQB platform, which Volkswagen is keen to expand beyond the Golf and the next-generation Scirocco, and it features two electric motors producing 149-hp each, one for each axle.

VW E-Bugster concept unveiled at 2012 Detroit show

Volkswagen has designs on expanding its Beetle family - and the new 2012 VW E-Bugster gives us a few clues to what's in store. As the name suggests, the E-Bugster is an electric Beetle, showcasing Wolfsburg's new e-powertrain coming to the Golf and other family members sooner than you might think. The Golf Blue-e-motion goes on sale in 2013.