It might be a diesel, but yes, it’s still all of the above. This is VW’s new R50. Due to be unveiled at the Australian International Motor Show later this month it’s the latest car from VW Individual, the same engineering group responsible for the Golf R32, Passat R36, and the Bluemotion range, including the Polo.

The Touareg R50 has VW’s 4.9-litre V10 diesel but with a ‘generous’ increase on power. Expect the standard 313bhp to rise to around the 350bhp mark, while the 553lb ft should climb to a round 600. The standard car only does 22.4mpg and pumps out 333g/km, so while that’s better than a Cayenne Turbo’s 19mpg and 358g/km, the power increase surely won’t do it any favors.

Completing the package are bigger wheels and tyres, tweaked suspension and a new bodykit. VW's press release gave no indication on price but this R50 will definitely be more than £60,000 when it arrives in the UK in spring of 2008.

• Does VW ever stop?

Nope. In fact, it's giving Audi a close run for the number of new models expected over the next few years. We’ve just driven the VW Tiguan, and loved it, while by Christmas we’ll have Bluemotion versions of the Golf, Passat and Passat estate in the UK.
Behind the scenes, though not hidden from our spy cameras, VW is readying a new Golf.

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Is it just us, or has Mazda gone a bit concept car crazy in recent months? Its current design mantra of 'nagare' - or flow - has spawned the Nagare, Ryuga and Hakaze show-offs at recent motor shows. And, true to form, there will be another car in the series at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.

That honour befalls the Taiki, a clean-fuel two-seater that's again inspired by natural waves and rhythms of nature, apparently. Officials drop hints that it'll inform the design of the next RX-8, but then spokespeople always say that sort of thing, don't they? Our guess is that Mazda is slowly but surely playing with a new style, and we're inching closer to flavours of what will actually appear in a showroom near you. Eventually.

Don't expect sci-fi style out-rigger rear wheels quite yet, though...

• The Taiki looks nothing like the next RX-8, surely?

You're right - this is a long, long way from any kind of production reality. But squint awhile at the front end, and you're not a million miles away from future design cues. The grille treatment, in particular, is said to be a preview of a fresh facial expression for Mazdas.
The Taiki also premieres a new package of aerodynamic aids, although Mazda isn't elaborating any more until its Tokyo debut. Many manufacturers are playing with semi-active aero aids, so expect moving body parts to smoothe the airflow.

• What'll she do, mister?

The Taiki is front-engined, rear-drive and is powered by the latest iteration of Mazda's rotary engine that's swollen from 1.3 to 1.6 litres. The Japanese company remains wedded to this technology, despite rotary's high consumption of fuel and oil. Why? Because Mazda is experimenting with rotary engines that run on hydrogen.

It will show a dual-fuel Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid at Tokyo, whose engine runs on hydrogen and unleaded fuel. When on H2 mode, it converts hydrogen into electricity to power the turbine engine; this isn't mere pie-in-the-sky fantasy - Mazda will start leasing such vehicles in 2008.

Tim Pollard

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