In just under a fortnight's time at the 75th Geneva Salon Fioravanti will unveil the 'Kandahar', a Lancia Musa, with chunky off-road pretensions.

The Lancia Musa, based on Fiat's Idea 'mini' MPV, has pushed forward upmarket luxury theme that Lancia are rightly known for. A versatile, comfortable, stylish and very well-equipped car, the lastest Lancia model has become an instant success as a practical and efficient inner city transportation method.

Italian design house Fioravanti, have now given the car a workover. New wheels, a visibly higher ride height and chunky and more aggressive bumpers, hint that this car has serious off road pretensions. With Lancia devoid of an representation in this popular and growing segment, the 'Kandahar' offers a glimpse at a quick, simple and cost-effective solution.

Two-tone paintwork, keeps the car within the boundaries of current Lancia thinking, which has seen the bi-color Ypsilon range introduced and spawned the bi-color Thesis concept, as seen at the Paris Mondial de l'Automobile last autumn.

These changes are coupled to a much plusher interior, and of course the firm's trademark, an enveloping glass roof, drawn in principle from their recent Kite concept.

This last mention point focuses on an area in which Fioravanti major. Last month, Ferrari introduced the highly innovation 575 M-based Superamerica with its multi-tint, electro-chromatic folding roof, a new concept in removable roof motoring.
 

The all-glass panel which rotates up and backwards via two powerful electric actuators to sit neatly onto the engine bay cover, was designed by Fioravanti and first shown at Geneva in 2001 on their Alfa Romeo Vola concept car.

Fioravanti took the large glass roof theme a stage further at last year's Geneva Salon, when they introduced the Kite. It was a real sportscar concept, in true Fioravanti tradition, dominated by a huge glass roof, which flowed down the C-pillars in a highly unusual fashion, a styling line that was replicated by a prominent crease which follows the line of the front wing rearwards before splaying down the doors.

These styling cues were complimented by the door handles and front grille sections which enhance the car's lines. The Kandahar's roof unashamedly draws inspiration and practical details from this concept.

Fioravanti was formed in 1987 initially as an architectural practice before diversifying their activities into services to the automotive industry, focusing in particular on transport and industrial design.

The company aims to express its philosophy through three concepts, firstly that to design is to engrave upon reality, secondly that style is a means of perception and finally to perceive innovative concepts through awareness of the past.

Company boss Leonardo Fioravanti previously worked at Pininfarina for twenty-four years, where he personally designed some of the most famous Ferrari road cars, including the legendary Daytona model, while in the late eighties he had a stint with the Fiat Group, first as deputy General Manager at Ferrari and then as head of Fiat's design centre.