Click above for hi-res gallery of the Portofino

Fiat took one of its Fiorino vans, chopped off, well, most of it, and dubbed it the Portofino. Supposedly no more than a study for the Caravan Show that starts in Dusseldorf later this week, the golden, buggy-like conveyance is an homage to the 1960s. In a time before Fiat was building $200,000 supercars, coachbuilders were adding open-topped bodies to Fiat chassis like this for fun in the Italian sun.

To stress the beachgoing theme, the Portofino has wood laminate flooring and natural fibers treated with a special waterproofing for the interior surfaces. The car can (optimistically) seat five, and the rear seat folds down for your surfboards and anchors.

Click to view the '66 Fiat 500 Giannini Tony Stewart

http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1%3A3cafef6339dbfb9fffdbd6dbc2b4cc69%3Ac35... would Luigi make of this? The little Fiat 500 from Pixar's Cars said he only follows Ferrari, but then his cousin shows up, decked out in NASCAR livery.

Fiat is set to debut the high performance version of its fashionable 500 -- possibly in October at the Paris Motor Show -- and spy shots have revealed that development is well underway. If fans of the retro-mobile were let down by the Abarth model's relatively puny 133-horsepower and sub-eight-second run to 60, the SS model will improve those numbers considerably. For its range-topping city car, Fiat is likely to fit a revised turbocharged engine offering an estimated 160 horses along with the Q2 Torsen C limited slip differential from Alfa Romeo.

Click above to view the Fiat 500 Aria concept in hi-res

Having already had to increase production several times over, the Fiat 500 continues to win the hearts and minds of consumers around the world... tree-huggers included. But that isn't about to stop Fiat from seeking out even more buyers, especially those of environmental conscience. And so reports indicate that the Italian automaker is preparing a hybrid version of the popular retro-mini.

Motor Trend is reporting that Chrysler is considering a few different options now for its 2012 midsize offerings. The first option is to stick with Project D, which is gobbling up engineering and design resources. Option two is to use either Fiat's premium midsize platform or the Nissan Altima platform, and design and engineer the rest of the vehicle from scratch. Chrysler can also decide to badge-engineer one of the vehicles, which would be a far cry from the original plan to have many vehicles spawned off one platform.

Remember the first time you moved out of your parents' house? Suddenly you were out on your own, without the security of a financial safety net. Same goes for car companies, so after Jaguar and Land Rover moved out of the Ford house and in with its new roomie Tata, suddenly the pair of British auto marques is searching for a new financial arrangement. And it's found one, thanks to the close relationship between Tata and Fiat.

Rumors of a new sports car from Abarth have been circulating for months, and although details are still sketchy, one thing's for sure: a mid-mounted engine is part of the package. Autocar is confirming previous rumors that Fiat's sport division has struck a deal with Lotus to use the next Elise as the basis for the new sports car.

Click to see the little Fiat's big adventure in hi-res

Click above to view more images of the Tata Nano

Fiat and Tata already have a joint venture to distribute commercial vehicles. If they can do the big stuff, why not the little stuff? Tata and Fiat are looking at an agreement to sell the Tata Nano outside of India in markets where Fiat has a strong presence.

If the deal goes through, and once the car is upgraded to meet Western standards, Tata can take advantage of the Fiat name, marketing, and dealer network. Fiat would probably have a big seller on its hands -- and a slice of every one -- since the car is still expected to maintain a healthy price advantage even after it gets beefed up.

BMW and Fiat have already announced their intentions to collaborate on a new small car platform that will underpin the next MINI, due in 2012 or 2013, along with the successor to the Fiat Grande Punto and Alfa Romeo MiTo. However, a new platform developed by Fiat and dubbed the C-Evo will be used as the basis for a larger MINI, due out in 2015.

It's unclear whether the C-Evo architecture will underpin the MINI AWD compact utility vehicle, but according to Automotive News, the platform will be capable of housing both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, and will serve as the platform for the new Alfa Romeo 147, which will be released sometime next year.