If you think the pictures here look rather like something from a futurist Mad Max/Judge Dredd science fiction film, then you are probably not far from the truth. This is the result of the Los Angeles Design Challenge to find a ‘Highway Patrol Vehicle 2025’ and is the Mercedes-Benz entry, rather awkwardly called the Ener-G-Force. According to Gorden Wagener, Director of Design at Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The Ener-G-Force is the vision of an off-roader that, while reflecting tomorrow’s adventures, also invokes the genes of the Mercedes-Benz off-road icon, the G model. Modern and cool, it could also be a clue about a new beginning for the off-road design idiom of Mercedes-Benz.” It seems that the competition fired up the guys at Mercedes-Benz in such a way that they also decided to produce a ‘civilian’ version, which is what you see here. Given the slab-sided, box-like, shape of the original iconic G-Wagon, it’s fair to say that this is a significant departure. As design studies go, it is certainly radical, according to the details released by Mercedes: “The Ener-G-Force stores recycled water in tanks on the roof, and transfers it to the ‘hydro-tech converter’, where natural and renewable resources are converted into hydrogen for operating the fuel cells. The storage units for the electricity generated in this process are housed easily accessible in the striking side skirts. The Ener-G-Force emits nothing but water, has an operating range of about 800 kilometres and as a result truly is a green car. Four wheel-hub motors, whose output for each individual wheel is adapted precisely to the respective terrain by high-performance electronics, provide the pulling power.”

The Race2Recovery team of wounded soldiers planning to enter the 2013 Dakar Rally have been conducting extensive desert testing in Morocco, with help from Land Rover. The Team has completed over 2000kms of driving over a variety of difficult terrain to hone their skills in preparation for the Dakar. Three Land Rover 110 diesels were used for the training programme, which included negotiating boulder fields, wadis, sand seas and razor dunes. Speaking from the Atlas Mountains on the exercise’s final day, Captain Tony Harris commented: “Our four days of training in Morocco have been incredibly productive and will prove invaluable in preparing the team for the rigours of the 2013 Dakar. Driving more than 500km per day in temperatures up to 37 degrees and over 2000 metre high peaks en-route to the desert, with rough camping alongside our vehicles for three nights, enabled our team members to experience this unforgiving and demanding environment and develop essential skills for ensuring success on next year’s Dakar rally.”

Rumoured for some time, Jaguar Land Rover has now announced that it will build 4x4s in China, probably the most significant global motor manufacturing deal for many years

Evoques and Freelanders will, it seems, be built in China with the announcement from Jaguar Land Rover and Chery Automobile Company that they have signed a joint venture to build a new production facility in Changshu, near Shanghai. Rumours of such a deal have been circulating for some time, the deal having now been given the official thumbs up from the Chinese Government, a necessary signature of approval needed for such a massive deal to go through. The multi-million pound project will include a new research and development centre and engine production facility as well as the vehicle production plant. Actual details of what will be built have yet to be announced by JLR, but the China Car Times has reported that this 50:50 joint venture, ‘is likely to be limited to the highly popular Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Freelander models, although both are expected to be highly modified for the local Chinese market’. Modifications, which could therefore involve vehicles using Chinese components, even engines. It will also be interesting to see if Chinese components make their way into European built JLR models in the future.

You can read how the vastly improved 2012 Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck fared in our Pick-up Of The Year test starting on page 46, but Isuzu hasn’t stopped at improving the outgoing Rodeo this year, having just announced the introduction of two new body styles to join the range for the very first time in the UK. And it has also confirmed a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating, writes Hils Everitt.
The utility and construction sectors should be rubbing their hands with glee as they now have the choice of a Single Cab and Extended Cab, alongside the familiar double cab, with a safety rating to please fleet managers; combined with the new body styles, this may grant the D-Max even more clout in the sector.

Prices start from £16,249 (plus VAT) for the new single cab (4×4), which boasts a payload of 1136kg and you’ll get 38.2mpg out of it on the combined cycle. The extended cab is only available as a 4×4 and starts from £16,749 (plus VAT) with a 1085kg payload. Like the Double Cab they’ll both tow 3000kgs and offer the excellent 30° approach angle. Due to customer demand the new trucks come with a utilitarian bent with steel wheels, fabric seats, vinyl floor, plastic bumpers, door handles and grille for easy cleaning, maintenance and repair.