Mercedes takes on crime in style - on and off road.

It may owe many of its looks to the Batmobile rather than a standard SUV but this is Mercedes-Benz’s vision of the police car of the future, set to make an appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month.

The concept vehicle is the car manufacturer’s entry for the Los Angeles Design Challenge 2012 which required entrants to design a “Highway Patrol Vehicle 2025”.

Before getting their crayons out, the designers contemplated what the needs of the cops of the future would be and decided that as people would be living longer, outdoor activities would be more popular and therefore the police would need to be able to go anywhere when called upon.

This may be a bit of a leap but at least the end result is a sweet looking car and the designers got so excited they went as far as building a full size model.

The Ener-G-Force is based on the Mercedes G-Class but has been pimped and pumped up to almost science fiction levels.

Its huge wheels, sitting on 20 inch rims, are designed to create an imposing presence and help in off road situations while the emergency light have been integrated into the roof.

The glass windows have been made smaller, presumably to help keep the occupants safe from the ray guns of the future criminals.

Mercedes-Benz director of design Gorden Wagener said although the fanciful thinking was just a design exercise it could have some clues to where the company plans on taking the G-Class.

“The Ener-G-Force is the vision of an off-roader that, while reflecting tomorrow’s adventures, also invokes the genes of the Mercedes-Benz off-road icon, the G model,” he said.

“Modern and cool, it could also be a clue about a new beginning for the off-road design idiom of Mercedes-Benz.”