One of the stars of the recent Geneva Motor Show was the HK GT, penned by the legendary Turin-based styling house Pininfarina. Another was the Sibylla electric sedan. It was the work of GFG Style, with "GFG" standing for the famous father and son combo, Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro.

Italdesign was also at Geneva, with the spectacular $US1.6 million ($2.1 million) Zerouno Duerta Roadster, and several other companies reinforced there's a whole new energy among Italian design houses. It follows a couple of lean decades in which many major manufacturers set up their own studios and brought design completely inhouse.