Acura’s new design language, as seen on the 2009 TL, is fronted by a shield-like appendage that has received mixed reviews. The Acura 2+1 — the numbers describe the seating arrangement — by design student Leon Paz is what would happen if you took the shield theme to one natural conclusion. By maintaining the edge throughout the concept’s “modern baroque styling,” Paz has come up we something we kinda dig.

The body is fashioned from a plastic that is harder than fiberglass, and Paz has done a great job in creating lines that evoke skin stretched over a frame. The upper surface is one continuous window that shows off the twin-turbo V6 and the Acura logo for the cylinder covers. There is no hood — at your yearly service, the dealer would lift the glass and perform any engine maintenance.

The 2+1 would be an aspirational step for those who want an NSX but can’t afford one yet. Based on what we’ve seen of the NSX so far, we’d probably rather have the 2+1. However, our most pressing question about the car isn’t about the design — we really want to know what is the meaning of “OW AHH” scrolled in LED’s across the rear? Check out the gallery of high-res images below, and maybe you can tell us…

Lamborghini’s lofty “new world” teaser has set the Internet on fire with rumors and innuendo, but after some coaxing from InsideLine, an unnamed Lambo exec has denied several speculations and brought about the most obvious conclusion.

Lamborghini’s surprise for the Paris Motor Show won’t be a retro exercise like the 2006 Muira concept, nor will it be a successor to the LM002. Forget about more Versace editions or Superleggera variants. No. It’s most likely a sedan, following the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide into the uncharted waters of four-door supercars.

The project, which began less than five months ago and was given the go-ahead by Lamborghini bosses (independent of Ingolstadt), could share the Audi A8’s architecture with a front-mounted V10 or V12 engine aft of the strut towers for a front-midship arrangement. A V6 isn’t likely, but a next-generation V8 could be equipped on entry-level models. There’s no indication about how power will be delivered to the wheels, but all-wheel-drive seems plausible considering Lamborghini’s recent offerings.

IL’s source at Lamborghini was insistent that the Panamera’s underpinnings wouldn’t be used, going on to say that, “Lamborghini is at a point where we can set off in new and plausible directions with the entire brand image. In a sense, we need to be able to tell customers what they ought to like about our brand. We’re the experts.” Since no one has claimed the title of “expert” super-sedan manufacturer, we’d say that Lamborghini has a good chance of owning it.

An outside perspective can do wonders for an automaker. In this case, we’re not sure ourselves what to make of this concept, let alone what Bentley would do with it. The British luxury marque actually commissioned Arturo Peralta, a Spanish automotive designer, to come up with this concept that he calls the SenseS.

While pursuing his second MA in vehicle design, Peralta interned at Pininfarina, where, judging from the striking similarities, he either had an integral part in designing the Sintesi concept or else made off with the blueprints in his briefcase. Peralta waxes poetic about the relationship he envisions that the Bentley SenseS would share with its driver and the environment around it, thanks in part to – wait for it – Genetic Engineering, but offers little in the way of actual details aside from the translucent body panels and suggesting that the vehicle would be powered by the wind. In the end, don’t expect to see this design shaping the direction of the next Continental… somehow we don’t think the twin-turbo W12 would quite fit in there.

Saab unveiled the 9-X BioHybrid Concept hatchback last March at the Geneva Motor Show, and it will be joined next month at the Paris Motor Show by this: the 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept. Both vehicles are said to herald the coming of a production Saab 9-1 small car, but the 9-X Air goes a step further and replaces the original concept’s closed roof with a flat-folding canopy top that’s said to celebrate the brand’s history in the convertible building business. Aside from that, the concepts appear to be almost identical right down to sharing the same turbocharged 1.4L Saab BioPower engine producing 197bhp. We’ll bring you more pics and info of the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept straight from the show floor in Paris next month.

The lure of the flying car is just too great for Moller International, a company best known for its SkyCar prototype and not actually producing a real flying vehicle for sale despite being around for some 25 years. Its latest tease is adapting the body shell of a Ferrari 599 GTB for use as a flying vehicle. Called the Autovolanter, this 599 GTB that’s freed from the shackles of Earth is capable of vertical take-offs and landings thanks to a hybrid powertrain comprised of rotary engines and electric motors. The vehicle, proposed by a wealthy Russian businessman who’d apparently like to bypass Moscow’s busy traffic with style, has already gone through small-scale testing and Moller seems rather pleased with the results.

Initial goals for the Autovolanter are a 150-mile range on the ground, with 40 of those coming from battery power alone, and 75 miles of airborne flight at high speeds. So the Autovolanter is basically a flying Chevy Volt based on a Ferrari. To make it a reality, the vehicle would need 800 horsepower… no problem, right? Oh yeah, and Moller needs around $5 million for continued development. Word is they’re currently seeking more wealthy Russian businessmen who apparently have no sense.

Reader Joe Donaldson was out taking photos over the weekend when he happened upon a more-interesting-than-normal Dodge Caravan parked outside a Best Buy. While we generally find the terms “interesting” and “Dodge Caravan” to be mutually exclusive, we’ll grant an exception here, because what Don stumbled upon was none other than a Caravan R/T sporting manufacturer tags. Is it the very same Caravan R/T that we saw in Detroit back in January? Who knows, but from the looks of things, it’s identically equipped, with the hood scoop, darkened grille area, big wheels, Brembos, dual exhaust, and the requisite badging. We’re not particularly big on minivans, but we thought that the Caravan R/T show car was pretty cool, and seeing it in the wild does nothing to change that opinion.

Debuting in concept form today is the most fuel efficient and cleanest version of Volkswagen’s sixth-generation Golf. Wearing the BlueMotion badge, as is common for VeeDubs with fuel-saving tweaks, the new Golf is able to complete the European driving cycle mileage tests with a rather epic 74 miles per gallon (around 62 mpg in the U.S. if conversions can be trusted). For those who like to keep track of such things, that’s just 99g/km of carbon emissions and an excellent score by any measure. In order to achieve such low fuel consumption and emissions, the Golf BlueMotion is bestowed with a miserly 1.6-liter TDI common rail diesel engine that kicks out 105 horses and 184 lbs.-ft. of torque at a low 2,000 rpm. Low rolling resistance tires, aero tweaks and revised gearing all help the cause. Though still just a concept, there is little doubt that this model or one very similar will debut a few months after the the standard Golf in Europe next year. In the U.S.? Don’t hold your breath, though a Golf TDI sold in the States may happen eventually.

Turns out the recreational and commercial vehicle show in Dusseldorf, Germany has attracted more concepts than the just the Fiat Portofino. Volkswagen showed up with the Caddy Topos Sail concept, another nautical-themed vehicle that brings the boat life to land locked lovers of the water. Based on the Caddy MPV, the Topos Sail concept’s biggest attraction is its roof, which is covered in wood decking and surrounded on all sides by aluminum roof rails. The roof deck is designed for lounging in the sun just like on the deck of a yacht, and the panels flip up to act as back rests. The concept also features a nifty ladder built into the rear lift gate with wooden steps, as well as wood trim elsewhere on the vehicle’s exterior. We’re certain it doesn’t float, but you could park the Topos Sail down by the docks, climb up on the roof and order a daiquiri to get the full effect.

With their scopes aimed squarely at the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW’s M performance division is rumored to be working on their own four-door luxury GT for a 2010 launch. With its styling based heavily on the BMW Concept CS (pictured above), the platform for the new flagship will be shared with the new 7 Series. Under the hood, most expect to see a 6.0-liter V12 based on the current M5’s V10, or a twin-turbocharged V8 like the one rumored for the next-gen M5. Even though both of those engines promise prodigious amounts of power, and the lightened chassis will be tuned for performance, BMW insists the new car will not be badged an M8. Regardless, we seem to recall that the lack of an M badge on the mid-90’s BMW 850CSi didn’t seem to deter enthusiasts.

Believe it or not, but the car above is based on the current generation Ford Mustang. We don’t have a lot of details, but we do know that it’s a Ford concept car codenamed “Project B” that is being built by Galpin Auto Sports and will debut at the SEMA show in November. Power will come from a twin-supercharged Mustang V8 that has been stroked to 5.0 liters. Massive wheels, 24 inches in the rear and 22 inches up front, engulf 16-inch Wilwood brakes. Our sources say that this will also be the very first car to feature Ford’s second generation SYNC system. The concept definitely has an interesting design, and we’re anxious to see the finished product in November.