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By Melissa August, Harriet Barovick, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Andrew Goldstein, Tam Gray, Lina Lofaro, Desa Philadelphia and Chris Taylor

BUGGING OUT Since the new VW Beetle became the unofficial car of Gen X, designers have taken its lessons to heart. Witness this spate of funky, bubbly, environmentally friendly concept cars at recent trade shows. Honda's Fuya-jo, which means "all-night entertainment district," boasts a turntable-like steering wheel and mixer-like dashboard. Also shown: the Norwegian Think electric car; Nissan's Hypermini EV, which goes up to 100 miles on a single battery charge; Honda's fuel-cell prototype FCX. What would Herbie say?