We've been very impressed with Fiat's latest models, especially their small Punto hatch. It's little wonder that the Italian marque is now making some serious profits. Only 18 months ago the carmaker was struggling with losses of $12 billion dollars over the past six years.

Restructuring and a rekindled spark in design has seen revenues jump 21% to $14.8 billion for the first half of 2006. Now that there's cash in the bank, we can expect a rush of new vehicles. After the amazing success of the Punto, Fiat is preparing to launch its successor to the Stilo compact for 2007. Expect it to go head-to-head with the Volkswagen Golf. There might even be a giant killing GTI version.

What we're really looking forward to is what Fiat can do with their legendary Lancia brand. Cars will be styled by one of the famed Italian design-houses such as Pininfarina, Bertone, and Giugiaro. Expect some seriously gorgeous vehicles.