'05 Geneva motor show.(News)

Byline: AutoWeek staff

Ferrari F430 Spider

What do you do with a super GT that everyone and his uncle loves right out of the box? Pop the top and make the world's fastest convertible, that's what. But there's more here than just a hack job. The entire rear portion of the aluminum body has been redone, this being most noticeable when the cloth roof is down to show off the twin buttresses behind the headrests. This is a flying Spider in the Maranello tradition, hitting 60 mph in 4.0 seconds, or half a second faster than the topless 360 it replaces. U.S. prices should be north of $200,000.

Dodge Caliber concept

Calling it simply another mini-wagonette-crossover-thingy misses the point of the Caliber-despite Dodge's own trite description of it as "a five-door vehicle that combines a sporty, coupe-like profile with the strength, stance and functionality of an SUV.'' In reality, the little five-door hatchback represents an exercise on the brand's part to design for markets beyond our own borders, especially in Europe, where Dodge means little more than "duck.'' If Dodge has a snowball's chance of succeeding across the pond, we think it would be with something along the lines of this mini Magnum, which happens to preview the Neon replacement in the works.

1. Honda Civic concept

While we're at least a year away from seeing a new Civic on our shores, Honda expanded on its Chicago preview (Si coupe). Geneva saw this five-door design, wider and lower than the previous hatchback, and it looks so much better, especially with its matching grille and taillight assemblies.