Volkswagen's plan for a lightweight, affordable, back-to-basics two-seater coupe and roadster is back, AutoWeek reports—and could debut, at least in concept form, as early as this November. VW chairman Martin Winterkorn will supposedly unveil a concept version of the mid-engine coupe at the Los Angeles Auto Show this coming November, and is targeting a production car release date of 2011.

Details are scarce for now. But rumor is that Audi is playing a part in development of the lightweight aluminum chassis for the car, the report said. That would add to speculation that Audi could spin off an R4 version of the car. The article also said Porsche has shown interest in the project, which would mean a resurrection of the much-maligned (and unfairly so, in my opinion) 914 mid-engined roadster from the early 1970s. The last time this rumor surfaced was when VW showed the Concept X (pictured above) in 2003; we'll soon find out if its for real this time around.