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Ford Edge or similar: that’s what my Avis hire car booking said. And if I really squinted, I guess the vehicle to which I was handed the key at Houston Intercontinental airport was broadly similar to a Ford Edge.

Sort of. Maybe. Well, not at all, really.

Because instead of a middling US-market SUV, in front of me was a Jeep Wrangler 4xe (the plug-in hybrid one). Result. And it was all down to those two glorious words: or similar.

When you’re booking a hire car, ‘or similar’ does a lot of heavy lifting. Hire car firms offer a dizzying array of machinery, so they usually can give you an example of a common vehicle of the right size.

Which is useful. But chances are that when you arrive at the counter, the car awaiting you won’t be a version of the example given. In fact, often ‘or similar’ nets you something that really isn’t very similar at all.

And it’s this unknown that makes the gloriously anticipatory ‘what will I get?’ moment that occurs when I approach the counter one of the highlights of any trip.

Having family out in the US, I’ve played the hire car lottery at Houston airport many times, and I’ve struck the jackpot on many occasions.

The Wrangler 4xe was a highlight, of course, not least because Texas is somewhat more favourable than the UK for taking the roof and doors off.

A more recent trip netted a Dodge Charger, which sounded glorious even with a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 rather than a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 (just don’t mention the terrible fuel economy).

Then there was the time I ended up with a Fiat 500, which proved a little intimidating in a state that loves great big pick-up trucks more than any other.

At traffic lights, Ford F-150 drivers could literally look down at me through my sunroof. Still, I left them standing when we came to corners.

Of course, for every epic hire car you win in the lottery, there will be a greater variety of models that prove somewhat more mundane.

But even that can help you gain an appreciation for cars that you might otherwise avoid. Having hired a few, I have a soft spot for the first-generation Kia Soul.

In my past life as a motorsport journalist, I had a lot of fun covering the Ulster Rally in a Peugeot 1007 and struck gold on the narrow lanes of the Isle of Man with a Ford Ka.

Sadly, not everyone likes leaving things to chance, and increasingly hire car firms are offering bookings in specific cars (albeit at a premium), while many offer rewards schemes that allow you to choose your car even before you reach the counter.

A victory for consumer freedom, perhaps, but far less fun. My advice: embrace the chaos and enjoy the glory that comes from those two loaded words: ‘or similar’.

Japanese parts supplier THK will show a radical new electric car concept penned by Nissan GT-R designer Shiro Nakamura at the upcoming Paris motor show.

Named the LSR-05, it's a four-seat coupé-SUV conceived to show off the company’s latest technological developments.

The fully functional car is powered by three electric motors: two 125bhp units are mounted in the rear wheels and one 295bhp unit is mounted across the front axle.

THK has yet to publish a combined power figure, but the LSR-05 should rival the Tesla Model Y Performance for outright pace, dispatching the 0-62mph sprint in well below 3.5sec.

THK said its in-wheel motors enable rear-wheel steering, boosting the LSR-05’s agility and manoeuvrability.

The EV is also fitted with active suspension that lowers it at high speeds to improve its aerodynamic performance and when parked over a wireless charging pad to improve the efficiency of the energy transfer. This allows the car to be fitted with a smaller on-board charger, according to THK.

Inside, it's fitted with an infotainment touchscreen that spans the entire width of the dashboard, in similar fashion to Mercedes-Benz’s Hyperscreen.

Critical controls are laid out along the centre console, as well as projected onto a panel below the large screen.

The seats feature THK’s ‘stealth seat slide system’, which is claimed to allow a greater range of fore and aft adjustment in a more compact chair base.

Visually, the LSR-05 stands out for its Coke-bottle design, with broad shoulders cinching inward at the B-pillar.

THK has used a two-tone livery to help disguise some of its heft, with a contrasting glossy black finish around the skirting and on the roof.

The LSR-05 is the latest in a string of EV concepts designed by Nakamura’s SN Design agency, following the AIM EV Sport 01 shown at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Nakamura is one of the most revered names in automotive design, credited with celebrated cars such as the GT-R, Nissan 350Z and Isuzu Vehicross, among many others.