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The power Dodge trio

It's been quiet but intriguing at the news desk

It’s still quiet at the Auto news desk, but while this past week has been shy on quantity, the quality of the car news has been pretty good.

Starting on the spy front, BMW has been busy — just in is news that the forthcoming M5 CS will get a meatier M aero kit with a bootlid Gurney tab, a fatter, wider more 3D kidney grille, revised side gills, different head and taillight graphics and a few other trinkets. And almost 500kW…

Our spies in Germany meanwhile tell us that BMW’s forthcoming M3 and M4 ‘will do everything better’. There will be a traditional rear-drive 360kW 600Nm S58 biturbo 3-litre straight six wit a six-speed manual and a 380kW Competition version with an eight-speed autobox and the option of M xDrive AWD that will deselect for RWD at the touch of a button. Expect them in SA latest early in the new year…

Volkswagen is meanwhile said to be considering a VW Motorsport inspired 225kW AWD R version of its forthcoming Golf-sized ID 3 electric car. 
Which also poses the question, is this the future for Golf R? We'd welcome it. As long as the good old piston version continues alongside it. What do you reckon?

There were a good few international reveals in the past week too… not least of all the wild Dodge trio of the Durango SRT Hellcat, Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and Challenger SRT Super Stock, all of which have 720 horses. Should be adequate.

In other news, Mansory got its kitch hands on a Ford GT, while on the dirt side, start-up Ineos revealed its all-new state-of-the-art Grenadier,4x4 that makes no excuses aboiut ripping the original Land Rover off in an all-new Merc G-class sized SUV powered by BMW 3-litre straight-six turbo petrols and diesels turning transfer case 4x4 via a ZF eight-speed automatic. Remind you of something, other than you snooze, you lose…?

Almost as absurd, General Motors unveiled its US Army tender winning light tactical Infantry Squad Vehicle. The 140kW turbodiesel machine uses off-road racing technology. GM will supply the Army with 649 ISVs that mainly utilise parts already available in the civilian market in a relatively inexpensive military application...

In the normal SUV world, Volkswagen’s handy Tiguan SUV range has emerged from a comprehensive mid-life nip and tuck complete with an all-new 235kW R range-topper and a plug-in hybrid, while Audi has tickled its Q5 SUV with a subtle nip and tuck, upgraded infotainment and a touch of mild-hybrid tech, most of which should be in SA soon.

And finally, is it a RAV4? Is it a Toyota? No it’s Suzuki Across! The first fruits of Suzuki Toyota’s JV with Toyota, the new RAV4-based Across has is a plug in hybrid with a 134 kW 270 Nm petrol engine driving the front and a 40 kW 121 Nm e-motor on the rear axle and it’s 'under consideration' for SA release...