Concept cars at the 2008 Sydney Motor Show

Sydney Motor Show 2008 Visions of the future or visions from the bottom of a brandy bottle? We take a look through the concept cars on show at this year's Sydney Motor Show.

A big chrome moustache
We blame Volkswagen for blighting the automotive world with chrome grilles so big you can do your make-up in them. This one adorns the otherwise handsomely sculpted Suzuki Kizashi 3 concept.

Camry fightin'
Kizashi in Japanese means foretaste, and the third instalment of Suzuki's Kizashi series of concepts is a preview of the car that Suzuki is formulating to tackle the Camrys of this world. Alas it will, more than likely, be toned down significantly by the time it reaches production.

Hello next RX
The current generation Toyota Kluger has been on sale for a little while now, this means that a new Lexus RX can't be far behind because, behind the lashings of supple leather and thick carpet, the RX is essentially a high street Kluger. The LF-Xh on the Lexus stand is a pointer to that car.

Gently does it
If Lexus stays fairly true to the LF-Xh, the next RX will be a gentle evolution of the current model.

Mazda Taiki
The Taiki is the latest instalment in Mazda's Nagare series of concept cars. It, along with the other members of the Nagare family, helped Mazda win the Grand Prix Du Design at the Festival Automobile in Paris earlier this year.

Atmospheric
The Taiki not only features rotary engine and rear-wheel drive, but is meant to be the visual embodiment of atmosphere, the Japanese word for which, incidentally, is taiki.

It's electric
The Mixim is a statement of intent from Nissan about its electric car ambitions. With two Lithium-ion batteries and motor packs, one each for the front and rear wheels, the Mixim is claimed to have a maximum range of 250km and can be fully charged in under 40 minutes.

An electric McLaren F1?
The Mixim features a three-seat layout pinched from the McLaren F1 supercar; the driver sits in the middle, and the two passengers sit on either side.