In this week’s automotive news you need to know: Audi promises to not run out of electricity in the desert, Land Rover will reportedly slap a twin-turbo BMW V8 into the Defender, Volkswagen teams up with DJ Khaled and Toyota binge watches all 25 Fast and Furious movies before festooning its new 86 with GR paraphernalia.

Audi RS Q e-tron – ‘back to the future’

Next year, Audi will compete in the toughest motorsport event on the planet – the Dakar Rally – with the 500-kW Electric Audi RS Q e-tron. Apart from the marketing mileage the Ingolstadt-based firm will get out of this ambitious quest, it could do itself (and many EV producers) a favour by putting the ol’ “EV range-anxiety” issue to bed once and for all. Despite contradictory messages from the VW Group about its involvement in motorsport, live competition is still the best way to test products. Audi would certainly live up to its Vorsprung Durch Technik slogan if it achieved successwiththis endeavour.

Read & watch more:500 kW Electric Audi RS Q e-tron Dakar Racer Shown

Make no mistake – there’s a lot riding on this. Get it wrong and it’s a long walk back to the bivouacs, but get it right and Audi will shut up its critics – an EV would have beaten all and sundry in a motorsport formula that it doesn’t have to itself (unlike Formula E). Plus, it could prove a watershed moment in the EV-range debate and Audi knows that all too well. I have every bit of confidence they’ll get it right just as they did back in the ’80s with the Sport Quattro S1. The rest of the world was adamant rear-wheel-drive rally cars were the way forward – but Audi knew better.

Land Rover SVR Edition – Modern classic loading…

It may be a tough pill to swallow for dyed-in-the-wool petrolheads, but models like the upcoming Land Rover Defender SVR will be highly collectable in 20 years’ time when our road networks are chock full of autonomous cars and “hand-driven” electric cars are regarded as… well, modern classics. Crazy, right? Despite my reluctance to admit that any SUV needs to have this sort of power (a peak output of 447 kW is expected), we’ll probably look back at this brutish creation with misty eyes one day and thank manufacturers that they were once brazen enough to produce special editions such as these.

Read more:Land Rover V8 Defender SVR in the works?

Motortrend reports the Defender SVR could be powered by a BMW-supplied 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, which makes me believe that there might still be remnants of insanity (but of the good kind) left in the motor industry – thank heavens. Before the automotive world’s products become too efficiency-oriented, 99.9% renewable and largely (if not fully) autonomously piloted, I’d advise getting one of these unashamed and unabashed juggernauts (if you have the money). This, any V8 AMG and even contemporary BMW M cars will be truly “exceptional” in years to come, even if you can’t see that now.

VolkswagenTaigo – ‘Another one’

Much has been written about the prodigious ascent of the SUV – it’s a trend that began in North America decades ago – but, as for the rest of the world, crossovers (compact- to medium-sized family cars that are merely styled to look like SUVs) have arguably usurped much more market share than the big rigs that inspired them. Manufacturers’ obsession with churning out numerous derivatives (as many as they can) of these crossovers has compounded excessive model proliferation. It really seems that there’s an option for whatever mood that you might be in on any given day and whether the wind is blowing or not.

Read more:New VW Taigo Revealed, Coming to SA in 2022

Sure, we like to have a wide variety of products to choose from, but the myriad crossover/SUV options available in the market today simply beggar belief. The new Taigo joins the list of T-Cross, Taigun, T-Roc, Tiguan, Atlas and Atlas Cross – and those are just the ones from Volkswagen’s stable that jump to mind. Every new variant of an existing model that a major manufacturer churns out is invariably countered by the introduction of a competitor product, so you see, we’ve created a monster. That adage of “less is more” seems lost on manufacturers as they push to squeeze as much profit as possible out of platforms/product life cycles. The principles of car manufacturing are what they are, but as much as I appreciate that consumer choice is key in the market, there’s just too much on offer.

Gazoo Racing goes to town – On new 86

If it wasn’t evident that Toyota wasmaking uncharacteristically bold (but absolutelywelcome)statements with the GR-infused performancemodels it has been adding to its product line-up, the Aichi-based brand’s latest revelation might drive the point home. Yes, folks… Toyota Gazoo seems to be bringing the crazy world of customisation in-house. Looking more “ricer”than “racer”, someone might need to go easy on the sake in that boardroom and dial back the energy, becauseI don’t think South Africa has seen that amount of wang, carbon fibre and Rocket Bunny (Google it!) influence, even in Lenasia.

Read more:Toyota GR 86 Concepts with Gazoo Racing Parts Revealed

Sure, some may find the GR paraphernalia a bit “out there”, but the after-market embellishments are integral to Japanese car culture and, all jokes aside, if it seems that Toyota is “keeping the fun alive” all by itself (and, let’s face it – few Japanese car manufacturers are), we should embrace and celebrate it. So, if you’re currently experiencing a mid-life crisis and want something bold, Toyota – yes, Toyota – has you covered. Static or bagged?