Top 10 Cars of the 2012 LA Auto Show

8. Mercedes Ener-G Force Concept

Inspired by the long lusted after G-Class, the Mercedes Ener-G Force concept is the winner of this year’s LA Design Challenge.

The car was originally meant to be an interpretation of the ultimate law enforcement vehicle, though the version Mercedes brought to its booth was in civilian trim. It uses four separate electric motors — one for each wheel. Water is stored stored in tanks on the roof and converted to hydrogen to power those electric motors, offering a total range of 500 miles.

While the car is still little more than a wild-eyed concept, it’s hard not to applaud Mercedes for having something so unusual while most other brands brought little more than run-of-the-mill renditions on production cars.

With any luck, this means Mercedes might be thinking well into the future for the G-Class.