VW Design Vision GTI

The Design Vision GTI has been revealed at the Worthersee VW event in Austria. Designed to please the 200,000 fans who are expected to attend the event, which runs from 8-12 May, the Design Vision GTI is intended to show a vision of what a GTI built specifically for racing could look like.

The one-off concept is built on the familiar MQB modular platform, but measures 4,253mm long, 1,442 high and 1,870mm wide, making it 15mm shorter, 57mm lower and 71mm wider than the current VW Golf GTI, giving a more aggressive stance.

Instead of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine used by the GTI, the concept features a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6. As a result, power jumps from 217bhp and 350Nm of torque to 496bhp and 560Nm.

The engine drives all four wheels via a twin-clutch gearbox, while the brakes now feature ceramic discs.

The Vision GTI completes the 0-62mph sprint in 3.9 seconds – down from the 6.5 seconds that a DSG-equipped GTI can manage – while its top speed climbs from 152mph to 186mph.

The Design Vision GTI has been styled by Marc Lichte, Andreas Mindt and Philipp Romers, the same team that penned the latest Golf and GTI models.

Finished in white, with piano black trim, the Design Vision GTI takes the subtle but striking design features of the standard car and exaggerates them.

For example, the curvy C-pillar now sticks out, almost like a flying buttress that's separate from the car bodyside, while the rear diffuser has grown significantly. Likewise, the front wheelarches are much more aggressive, and now flare out with vents in front of and behind them, and 20-inch wheels closely fill the arches.

Inside, the controls on the dash have been minimised, so the buttons for the three driving modes – street, sport and track – are now on the steering wheel, while the dashboard itself is now more angled towards the driver.

The interior is constructed from carbon fibre and alcantara, and features the same red fabric loop door closers as used in Porsche Cup cars.

As it’s designed as a racer, the Vision GTI has an X-shaped cross brace instead of rear seats, and built-in helmet storage. The car also has a display of the current racetrack you’re driving on, along with split times of other cars.

Sadly there are no plans to build a production version of the concept. Much like VW's previous Worthersee Golfs - such as the mid-engined Bentley-W12-powered Golf W12-650 - the Vision is more an excuse to let the firm's designers let off some steam.

Mercedes G63 AMG 6X6

Mercedes have unveiled a monstrous new rugged off-roader with six wheels - their first since a similar model was produced for the Nazis in 1930s Germany.

The outrageous Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6 is a limited edition model based on the iconic G-Wagon.

It has been designed to have the off-road capabilities of a tank, accelerate like a hot hatch and provide the luxury feel of a limousine.

To give it brutal acceleration, Mercedes has replaced the standard G Wagon's 3-litre diesel engine with a twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8.

The result is a 536bhp behemoth which is capable of 0-62mph in less than six seconds - despite measuring 19ft in length, weighing 3.85 tons.

Mercedes claims the 6x6 - which has 37 inch wheels - can negotiate rocky terrain with 'all the agility of a mountain goat', while fording a river is 'almost child's play'.

They add: 'Anyone exploring the on-road performance is certain to be impressed by the catapult-like acceleration of this 3.85-tonne pickup.'

However, the 6x6 comes with a massive £350,000 price-tag - making it the most expensive model in the Mercedes range and three-times as pricey as a typical G Wagon.

The off-roader, which is likely to be most popular in the Middle-East, will be limited to around 30 sales per year.

The new model is not the first six-wheel off-roader from the German firm, with Hitler owning eight during the Third Reich. 

The G4 was a heavy-duty off-road car Mercedes produced for the German army between 1934 and 1939. 

Mercedes built 57 G4s during this period with heads of state and top military brass regarding them as a 'prestige all-terrain vehicle'.

Rare: It is understood there are just three G4 models in existence which are absolutely authentic although other models have been rebuilt

Hitler was a huge fan and had eight of the six-wheeled cars, with a number located at his various castles around Germany. 

However, unlike the new Mercedes G63 AMG, the G4 wasn't six-wheel drive with power only sent to the rear four wheels. 

It is understood there are just three models in existence which are absolutely authentic although other models have been rebuilt. One of these models is owned by the Spanish royal family after Hitler gave it to General Franco in 1939.

BMW 3 Series GT

It's a more practical hatchback version, in much the same mould as the 5-series Gran Turismo.

At 4,284mm long, the Gran Turismo is 200mm longer than a 3-series Touring. It's also 81mm taller, and has a 110mm longer wheelbase.

None of the Gran Turismo's exterior panels are shared with 3-series saloon or Touring models - it has similar headlights and front grille, but there's a sloping tailgate, frameless side doors and a different interpretation of BMW's "Hoffmeister kink". An active rear spoiler - the first of its type on a BMW - raises automatically at high speed.

The rear of the car looks similar to the 5-series Gran Turismo's, and there are L-shaped vents in the front wings reminiscent of those on the recently unveiled 4-series coupe concept car.

Much of the Gran Turismo's interior is familiar from the 3-series saloon and Touring, with the same switchgear and a very similar look. Practicality is boosted, BMW says, by a 59mm higher seating position and 70mm more rear legroom. A 40/20/40 split/folding rear seat comes as standard; with a 520-litre capacity, the Gran Turismo provides 25 litres more boot space than the 3-series saloon.

The Gran Turismo will initially be offered with a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, with power outputs of between 141 and 302bhp. Rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox are standard; an eight-speed automatic gearbox is an option. In autumn 2013 a four-wheel drive 320i xDrive model and range-topping diesel version - the 325d - will join the range.