Looking to create an entrant for this year's LA Design Challenge, Mercedes-Benz came up with the Ener-G-Force to fit the theme of Highway Patrol Vehicle 2025. Mercedes-Benz says that the styling of the Ener-G-Force builds on many cues from the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and like the original G-Wagen introduced in 1979 as a civilian version of a military vehicle, it didn't take much imagination to envi

sion a civilian version of the Ener-G-Force. Of course, it wouldn't be a futuristic concept vehicle without some sort of advanced powertrain, and the concept unveiled today delivers on this front as well.

From a design standpoint, the Ener-G-Force infuses many elements seen on the G-Class but with a much more modern interpretation giving it a new, yet recognizable appearance. These cues include the sunk-in headlights, turn signals/running lights mounted atop the front fenders, the long, flat roofline and the low, rectangular taillights, but the Ener-G-Force ditches the G-Class' boxy lines in favor of a more rounded shape.

One of the interesting elements of the concept is the roof rack. While it looks like a cargo rack that could be used for a safari, it is actually a way for the vehicle to collect water to store in tanks to then be transferred to a converter that creates hydrogen to power the fuel cells. The batteries for this system are built into the rocker panels, and the hypothetical range for this conceptual system is 500 miles of zero-emission driving. For off-roading purposes, the system uses four independent motors at each wheel and a roof-mounted scanner that adjusts the suspension to best fit the road conditions and terrain.

The Ener-G-Force was one of six entrants for the 2012 LA Design Challenge, and the winning design will be announced on November 29 as a part of the LA Auto Show.

If yesterday's announcement of Fiat's big plans for the coming years wasn't enough, we’ve come to learn from reliable sources that Fiat is all set to launch the all-new 500 L MPV next year as well. Though it looks like a bigger version of the cute 500 hatchback, the MPV is actually based on an extended Punto platform.

Fiat bosses have decided to launch it in the middle of 2013, just around the st

art of the new financial year and after the financial budget. The most likely engine for the car will be a 1.3-litre diesel Multi-jet unit with 90bhp (the same one that powers the diesel Ertiga and Fiat’s own Linea saloon). Fiat is currently working on this engine to improve its fuel efficiency, low-rev response as well as refinement. The other engine could well be a 1.4-litre, 94bhp petrol.

It is still not clear whether the MPV will be sold in its Euro-spec five seat version to take on the Renault Duster, or will the wheelbase be extended to add two extra seats and make it a seven-seater Ertiga-rival. Chances are strong of it being the latter though. At 4,140mm length, 1780mm width and 1660mm height, it is wider than the Ertiga but marginally shorter.

Since it will be based on the Punto platform, it will share a lot of components with the hatchback, which should help keep the price down. Just like the Ertiga, the 500L should appeal to city commuters with its light controls and high set seats that give a commanding view of the road ahead.

The car offers practicality too. The rear seats all slide back and forth, and split-fold 60:40, too. Owners will also be able to fold down the front passenger seat and there are 22 different storage spaces around the car’s cabin. There’s up to 400 litres of storage in the boot with the rear seats pushed forward.

If Fiat can price it right, then the 500 L should retail at around Rs 10 lakh for the diesel versions base model.

Remember the innocent days of late 2006? Those naive times before the R8's launch when we wondered if Audi could really pull off a mid-engined supercoupe to rival the Porsche 911 and, heaven forbid, even the Gallardo?

How daft we were. So rapidly has the R8 been assimilated into the sports-supercar elite that when Audi recently announced a new range-topping version capable of 0-100kph in 3.5secs and a top speed of 318kph, our first question wasn't if it'd be any good, but exactly how excellent it'd be.

Pretty damn excellent, that's the answer. The V10 Plus (sadly, no relation to the Golf Plus) is the flagship of the facelifted R8 range, a facelift comprising sparkly new LED lights, an extensive weight-loss programme and, most significantly, a shiny new S tronic double-clutch gearbox to replace the R8's clunking old automated manual. Power output on the standard V8 and V10 models remain unchanged, but the Plus's V10, while remaining naturally aspirated, gets a 25bhp hike to a Ferrari-troubling 550bhp, putting its vital stats within a gnat's wing of the 458. What odds would you have got on an Audi causing sweaty palms in Maranello a decade ago?

The new 'box is a cracker. The R8 has lost sales to the 911 by not offering a credible alternative to PDK, but the S tronic is spot-on, melting into the background when you're pottering around, but serving up thumping, split-second shifts when you click the R8 into Sport. And the Plus's extra power doesn't undermine the R8's trump card - its easy, everyday usability. Even on dodgy roads, you can be a bit silly without bothering the traction control, the Plus's steering is easy and true, its standard ceramic brakes far less recalcitrant than many we've tried. It sounds magnificent, and it goes like the remapped clappers, but - much as it pains TG to say so - it's not our R8 of choice.

We'd stick with the non-Plus, slightly-less-powerful R8 V10 (coupe or convertible). Why? Because the stock R8 V10 is a fraction softer than the Plus, which has received a suspension beef-up fit for the schportiest model in the range. Though this hasn't transformed it into a gastric-band-dislodging Nürburgring special, the Plus is more of a handful to drive on obliterated roads. But that's a minor blemish on a thoroughly convincing refresh, and, hey, if you just want the newest and the fastest, we won't blame you for going Plus. The R8 is no snotty upstart nowadays, but a card-carrying member of the supercar royalty. Arise, Sir Durch Technik...

The numbers
5204cc, V10, AWD, 550bhp, 540Nm, 7.7kpl, 299g/km CO2, 0-100 in 3.5secs, 318kph, 1595kg

The verdict
Audi's fastest-accelerating road car ever is ruinously rapid with a lovely new DCT gearbox, but a mite hard-riding for our conditions. Standard R8 V10 will do us fine, ta.