Last month, we told you about Volvo’s plans to reveal an almost production-ready diesel-electric hybrid version of the V60 at the Geneva Salon in March. Today, the Swedish automaker released a full set of photos and additional information on its Plug-in Hybrid, which will be launched in the market in 2012.

It’s been a year-and-a-half since Maserati lifted the wraps off a drop-top version of its GranTurismo coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, and now the Italians are getting ready to expand the range of the GranCabrio with the presentation of a sportier variant at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

It’s been rumored for a while now that Audi was exploring the possibility of adding a four-door sedan body style to its A3 range, but today, the German firm officially confirmed the news with the release of the first official sketches of the A3 Concept ahead of its world premiere at the 81st International Geneva Motor Show in early March.

It was learned that Mini will lift the covers off a brand new concept model at the Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March. The three-door design study is said to hark back to the classic Mini in terms of its exterior dimensions while keeping up with the times in terms of safety requirements and occupant space.

Tuning firms Hamman and H&R have joined forces to create a monster out of the Fiat 500 Abarth with an insane power boost to 275-horsepower.

Beginning with the engine bay, Hamann’s engineers used forged pistons, enhanced connection rods, new camshafts and a modified turbocharger to increase the 1.4-liter petrol unit’s peak output to an impressive 275 hp and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) of torque. That’s 196.4 hp/liter, more than double of what is considered to be an excellent ratio.

An extremely well kept example of Lamborghini’s made-to-order Murcielago LP640 Roadster VERSACE with only 1,211 miles (1,949 km) on the odometer, has surfaced on eBay for an asking price of $635,777 or approximately €467,758 at today’s exchange rates. That’s far less than the car’s original one million dollar price tag.

The American tuning firm Misha Designs has recently released a widebody package for the Mercedes SL. Including several new aero parts, the package consists of a new front bumper, carbon fiber lower lip spoiler, cf diffuser, and trunk spoiler. These improved the aerodynamics, while the guys at Misha decided to make the car wider to look more like the Mercedes-Benz AMG Black Series. This was accomplished with new fenders and widening the quarter panels to merge with the wheel arches. Also, a new bonnet is used in this kit along with carbon fiber vents found in the hood and rear bumper.

There have been several releases so far for the SEMA Show starting this week, but this particular tuning project caught my eye and is based on the Hyundai Equus. This DUB Edition Hyundai looks like a luxury car that could be worth hundreds of thousands, however under all the customizations it is still an affordable Hyundai Equus. It sports a stunning exterior, interior, and even audio modifications from the well-known and exclusive DUB Magazine. The president and co-founder, Myles Kovacs said, “We know that SEMA show-goers look forward to seeing the cool new cars like Equus and the unique ways we customize them. With this car we tried to give tuners an idea of what modifications can be done within the luxury segment.”

Next year we should see the birth of the Gillet Vertigo .5 Spirit, a supercar with amazing styling and Belgian roots. The looks will not be changed much, and the best mod can be found under the hood. The current Alfa Romeo V6 engine will be swapped out with a 4.2-liter V8 from Maserati. Resulting in 420 bhp through the six-speed sequential gearbox to the rear wheels. Now that may not sound like a lot of power, but when you match it up to the Gillet Vertigo that only weighs 990 kg with its carbon fiber design, you have a power to weight ratio matching some of the best exotics out there. However, this is still the factory Maserati engine, and extra tuning can be performed if needed.

Making its debut at this week’s SEMA aftermarket show is Kia’s Forte Koup Type R Concept model, which is said to be inspired by its racing siblings that take part in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.