Fiat just released its five-year business plan and among the changes coming to the various brands, the new models promised under the Prancing Horse badge really caught our eye. Maranello currently has under development no less than six new models.

After debuting the new 458 Italia coupe several months ago, it should come as no surprise that a spider version is also in the works. The current F430 Spider will continue on until that model debuts to take its place.

That would leave the F430 Scuderia as the lone F430 in the lineup, so the announcement of an even hotter Scudeia variant of the 458 shouldn’t be too alarming either. That model will likely show up in 2013 at the earliest.

Next on the list is project F151, the replacement for the forgettable-for-a-Ferrari, 612 Scaglietti. The new  four-seat GT car is going to be the company’s first hybrid, although there remains some confusion over whether or not it will feature a road-going implementation of the company’s KERS Formula 1 system or a full hybrid propulsion setup.

A successor to the Enzo is planned for 2012, which should be smaller and lighter, with power coming from a smaller displacement force-fed engine, possibly a V8 or even a V6. In the same year we’re expecting to see a completely new model to replace the 599 GTB Fiorano, too, code-named F152. No other details are forthcoming but the current car is fairly new and highly regarded, so this might end up being more of a refresh.

Finally, in 2013, Ferrari is expected to give the California a makeover. Tentatively called the California M, it suggests that the difference between the current version and the new one will be similar in scope to the change from the 456 GT to the 456 M or from the 550 Maranello to the 575 MM.

Ferrari has said that they want to keep a strong delineation between the sports cars and the GT cars, withthe 458 and 599 in the former arena and the 612 and California in the latter. Ferrari has also said that they are committed to a six-model lineup, with the occasional special adding a seventh model to the mix, i.e. the Enzo replacement.

Sounds like the Ferrari engineers, and the spy photographers, will be very busy over the next few years.

The hotly-anticipated Ferrari 599 Hybrid, which the Italian automaker has confirmed for the Geneva Motor Show next week, just got its virtual debut a bit early thanks to the interwebs. The legendary maker of sports and racing cars, so closely associated with Italian racing red, decided to show how green their latest project is by painting it…green.

No new information on the car has been released yet, but we already know that the Ferrari 599 Hybrid will employ a version of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that originally debuted during the 2009 Formula 1 season. The system captures the energy that is normally lost to the flywheel under braking, transferring it to the wheels when the driver activates a button on the steering wheel. Don’t expect Prius-like mileage from this hybrid, just an extra dose of performance on demand.

Ferrari patent for awd hybrid system

We’ve been hearing rumbling, make that whirring, of a hybrid Ferrari for some time now. While some say it is merely speculation, others point to development mules and patents that have been filed that clearly indicate a hybrid and/or all-wheel-drive system in the works. Well, speculate no more. Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo says we can expect to see it during the first week of March at the Geneva Motor Show.

The announcement came at the unveiling of the new 2010 Ferrari F10 Formula One car, whose predecessor happened to use a hybrid system of its own. During the 2009 F1 season Ferrari used its Kinetic Energy Recovery System with mixed results, but the hybrid technology was effective in capturing energy normally lost during braking.

No specifics about what kind of hybrid setup Ferrari will show off, but it will be mounted in the company’s 599 GTB Fiorano, or some version of it. It’s likely going to be similar to KERS and not a Ferrari Prius. While the show car is said to be only a concept, Ferrari promises they will build a production hybrid vehicle in the near future.