1994 Mazda Rx-7 Touring Coupe 2-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

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Fiat 124 Coupe could join Spider line next year

While Mazda's content to tease coupe lovers with the last-gen MX-5 Power Retractable Hardtop and the upcoming RF, the company is loath to offer a version of its lovable roadster with a permanent hardtop. But Fiat isn't so fickle. According to Autocar, the Italian brand could unveil a proper hardtop Fiata as early as next year. Likely called the 124 Coupe – duh – Autocar reports the addition of a fixed roof will spice up the current Spider. But what kind of spice is more difficult to predict. AC reports that FCA could stay the course, offering the new hardtop with the same powertrain lineup as the Spider – 138 horsepower in the UK and 160 hp (164 hp in Abarth trim) in the US – or drive the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder higher. As for how the car will look, Autocar points to the handsome 124 Abarth Rally Concept from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Don't expect integrated rally lights or a standard yellow-on-red paint scheme, but the new model will likely borrow that concept's roofline – more notchback than the MX-5 RF's fastback-like look. That'd fit with the 124 Coupe's ancestors, which wore a traditional notchback roofline. Fiat offered a 124 hardtop between 1967 and 1975, giving a new hardtop Fiata much more historical precedence than a comparable MX-5. AC reports the new 124 Coupe will likely carry a 10-percent premium across the pond, with a similar increase in the US. But predicting the impact of that price hike is a little bit trickier than multiplying the 124 Spider's price by 1.1, since we don't know what trims the Coupe will come in. The Abarth is likely a shoe-in, starting around $31,000. If, and it's a big if, Fiat sells a 124 Coupe Classica, expect a $27,500 starting price, while a hardtop Lusso would be a smidge over $30,000. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Weekly Recap: Geneva's splendor reflects growing demand for ultra-luxury cars

Geneva is one of the most glittering auto shows in the world, but the list of high-powered and bespoke luxury cars was decadent this year even by the rich standards of the Swiss exhibition. It's great for enthusiasts to revel in the flame-throwing Aston Martin Vulcan, the racing-inspired elegance of the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept and the insane performance of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce, but there's a reason for all of this opulence: the luxury market is big business. And it's growing. IHS Automotive forecasts that so-called ultra-premium sales will nearly triple this decade from 123,000 to 353,000 units around the world. The estimate includes brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, but doesn't count BMW, Mercedes and Audi, which offer less expensive models in addition to their high-end flagships. Though IHS includes Porsche and its relatively large volume in the study, the ultra-premium segment is still set grow at about the same rate, even without the German automaker's figures. So what is propelling all of this growth in the most expensive segment of the auto industry? Put simply, there's more rich people. IHS Automotive principal analyst Tim Urquhart pointed to economic expansion in China, market recovery in the United States and a surge in the lucrative technology sector as contributing factors. This dovetails with a research report by UK-based Oxfam, an international relief organization, which found the world's richest one-percent owned 48 percent of global wealth in 2014, and it's expected to increase to more than 50 percent by 2016. View 17 Photos Carmakers are moving quickly to capitalize with new products, expanding their portfolios with low-volume speedsters like the 800-hp V12 Vulcan at Geneva, and plans to enter new segments, like Rolls-Royce's strategy to make an SUV. "Ultra-premium carmakers are looking to explore ways of growing their product offerings, and thus their bottom lines, in this most potentially profitable of segments," Urquhart wrote in a report on the Geneva show. In a nutshell, there are more choices for people with more money. It's a good time to have expensive taste. Other News & Notes 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata production launches It won't be long now. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives later this year, and it's officially in production. Mazda announced this week that the roadster began rolling off the assembly line at its Ujina factory in Hiroshima, Japan.

Sell your own: 2012 Mazda CX-9 AWD

Looking to sell your car? We make it both easy and free. Quickly create listings with up to six photos and reach millions of buyers. Log in and create your free listings. If your only connection to Mazda is the MX-5 Miata, know there's more to the Hiroshima-based carmaker than "zoom" - there's also room. The 3-row CX-9 is the roomiest Mazda, 200 inches long with some 100 cubic feet of cargo space. The CX-9 wasn't Mazda's first stab at a crossover. Its original MPV was more crossover than minivan, with a RWD/AWD platform and – get this! – an available manual trans. While the MPV morphed into a more conventional minivan, Mazda introduced the CX-7, CX-9, CX-5 and – most recently – the subcompact CX-3. Although the CX-7 is no more, the crossover segment remains hot. This for-sale CX-9 is from the model's previous generation. It's also the beneficiary of the last V6, as its more upscale replacement boasts only a turbocharged four. We like both, but the V6 is relatively refined. And this car's price of $16,000 sure beats a new CX-9's $36,000. It's almost $2K above an average selling price, but with a clean Carfax and its 60K major service behind it (and some price flexibility) this CX-9 could provide some voluminous value. Related Video: