The car you see here is the Geneva-bound Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel concept, the successor to 2006’s Exige 265E, which made 265 horses running on E85. The 270E goes a step further. Not only can it run on gasoline or ethanol, it achieves its peak output — 270 horsepower and 184 lb-ft — on methanol, hence the Tri-Fuel label. Incidentally, that power figure is the highest yet for an Exige coming out of Hethel. Even more interesting, however, is Lotus’ research into producing carbon-neutral synthetic methanol. You can read about it in detail after the jump, but in summary, the process involves using atmospheric CO2 and reacting it with hydrogen created via renewable electrical power to create methanol. Liquid methanol could be transported and distributed much in the same way gasoline is now, making for a feasible infrastructure if the idea were to take hold somewhere down the line.

As its name suggests, the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel is equipped with a 1.8-liter supercharged engine that can run any mixture of gasoline, bioethanol and methanol. Using a development of the supercharger and intercooler package from the Exige S, the Exige 270E Tri-fuel has peak power of 270 hp at 8000 rpm, 184 lb/ft (260 Nm) of torque at 5500 rpm, up by 51 hp or 19% and 25 lb/ft 45 Nm or 14% over the standard gasoline Exige S.

That makes the Exige 270E Tri-fuel the most powerful road version of the Exige range. According to the British carmaker, the Exige 270E can go from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.9 sec and on to a top speed of 158 mph or 255 km/h.

Although the exterior appearance remains largely the same, many of the updates are beneath the car’s sexy skin. The new premium GT now comes with a modified F1 semiautomatic gearbox, which features sequential paddle shifters and an automatic clutch. The new setup promises faster upshifts and ear-pleasing throttle-blip downshifts. The steering wheel is also fitted with a revised Manettino switch, which allows the driver to configure the car’s engine output for extra power and the level at which stability — and traction-control systems intervene as well as firmness of the adjustable suspension.

With the launch of the so-called “Dino” entry-level Ferrari set for the Paris Motor Show this September, Ferrari used this year’s Geneva show to redirect attention to its 612 Scaglietti. The two-plus-two-seater, V-12 flagship grand touring coupe has been overshadowed the past two years by the 599GTB sports coupe, so the 612 was chosen as the debut vehicle for Ferrari’s new customization program, called Ferrari Atelier. This is a new, organized marketing effort to allow Ferrari customers to have their 612s tailor-made to their specific tastes.

Yes, of course it’s true that you’ve always been able to get things done your way at the Ferrari factory, but it was not part of an official program. Now, the factory will have a special salon where you can sit down with a specialist to discuss your specific needs and desires, look at samples of leathers, try out different seating styles, choose your matching handmade luggage, and in general get the white-glove treatment.

Ferrari set up a mini version of the Atelier on the second level of its opulent stand at the Geneva show, where we sat in a gorgeous chocolate brown 612 whose every interior surface was swathed in the most exquisite brown stitched leather we’ve ever seen. Even the trunk, including the underside of the trunk lid, was covered in these hides! How much do these baubles cost? If you have to ask…

In other 612 Scaglietti news, the car has been fitted with the latest version of the F1 SuperFast automated manual paddle-shift transmission, so 612 drivers now enjoy the same gearshifting times – about 100 milliseconds – as 599GTB drivers. The 612’s steering wheel now has the Ferrari manettino switch, which controls stability control and other chassis systems, on the right spoke, plus a red engine start button on the left spoke. (You can still get a manual transmission for the 612, in theory, but virtually no one does.) Carbon ceramic brakes are now standard, as they have been on all other Ferraris since October 2007 production. The 612 also gets a new, standard, full-glass roof with electrochromatic tinting.

Before being unveiled at Geneva, the Sintesi has been the subject of a teaser campaign which has attracted a great deal of interest online among specialist journalists, scoring more than 250,000 hits on Google.

The Sintesi is a sports car with four doors and four seats, developed by a highly innovative approach: it does not consider the car as a shape that covers the mechanicals, but one that gives a shape to the mechanicals around the passengers, starting from the latter. This approach, which is known as “Liquid” Packaging, has overturned traditional volumetric balances, improving weight distribution and lowering the centre of gravity, which are important elements for driving dynamics.

This was made possible by close collaboration with Nuvera, which developed the Quadrivium Fuel Cells system, the various components of which were distributed around the car, with four fuel cells positioned near to the wheels. The result is that the space for passengers is much more generous – in proportion to the total volume of the car – without detracting from the sporty line with its relaxed, elegant profile which is sleek, tapered and aerodynamic (Cd = 0.27). The modular nature of the fuel cells, combined with the batteries and a sophisticated overall electronic architecture (developed with PI Shurlok), allows for modular use of the available power depending on driving conditions.

Still a concept only, this drop-dead beauty is the synthesis of the brand’s values, their love for work and passion for innovation, of beauty driven by functionality, of sportiness and elegance. What’s more fascinating is that the Sintesi concept will debut with an innovative feature that is called Clancast. Exclusive to Pininfarina, the Clancast system talks with other cars on the road to communicate traffic patterns, eliminating the need for traffic lights and other street signs.

This futuristic scenario, based on concrete, existing technology, opens the door to advanced active safety solutions which in turn have made it possible to design the car with volumes that are not conditioned by today’s bulky passive safety systems.

The important role played by electronics in the Sintesi project is also evident in the design of the interior and the lights. Inside, the facia symbolises the flow of information in which the car moves. Created as a single semi-transparent piece by Materialise, using the additive technology of personalised manufacturing, its shape disseminates the information around the passenger compartment thanks to the intuitive use of colour and light.

The lights become focal points through which the car dialogues with its environment. In addition to the innovative LED system supplied by Osram, which made it possible to create a simple, strong shape that underlines the car’s central axis, the ‘headlights’ also incorporate the telecameras and the proximity radar system.

The X5 Concept combines BMW’s all-new, twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine with a compact generator that, for the first time, is flange mounted directly onto a new eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.0-litre diesel engine delivers 204hp and 400Nm of torque between 2,000 and 2,250rpm while the mild hybrid concept generates a further 20hp and 210Nm of torque under acceleration.

According to BMW, while the Vision EfficientDynamics concept completes the sprint from zero to 62mph in just 8.9 sec it boasts an avg. fuel consumption of 36.5 MPG (US) or a mere, 6.5-liters per 100 km and just 172g/km of CO2 emissions.

Apart from the hybrid system, the prototype also features a Brake Energy Regeneration system which utilizes highly efficient lithium-ion batteries in the boot area to store the power generated which can be used to power the air conditioning, electric coolant pump and the electric power steering system.

Additionally, the prototype X5 is fitted with roof mounted photovoltaic solar panels, measuring 1.0 square meter. The energy generated can either be used immediately or stored for later use. Importantly, the power created in this zero- CO2 way can be used to pre-heat the diesel fuel. The less efficient warm-up phase is thus shortened considerably.

The chassis and ride-height of the X5 have also been adapted for the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics. This includes the aerodynamically-efficient but gargoyled 19-inch light alloy wheels with reduced ventilation.