The Car Hub

A big stand for Kia, who are on a bit of a roll at the moment. Centrepiece was the impressive new Sorento on which we've already reported in detail. The new small Venga was also on show – it should be a powerful new weapon in Kia's arsenal (sorry – it's been a long day).

BMW's latest concept car, The Vision EfficientDynamics, will be seen in the metal for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The complaint that the motor manufacturers show dramatic concept cars and then disappoint with watered-down production models is probably as old as the industry itself but here the gap between BMW's low-slung slinky Vision EfficientDynamics and its recent production cars such as the lumpy X6 and Gran Turismo, is especially marked.

The French car-maker Renault will try to jump the lights on its rivals tomorrow by announcing plans for a commercially viable, non-polluting "car of the future".

Renault and its Japanese subsidiary, Nissan, will reveal details of a range of all-electric cars capable of matching the price and performance of internal-combustion vehicles within two years.

There are certain visual tricks that make a Porsche look like a Porsche. Dr Michael Steiner, director of the new Porsche Panamera "product line", is reminding me what they are. "A classic Porsche has a rear engine," he is saying, "so the bonnet is low with the wings higher on either side. The bonnet is narrower at the front. There are no sharp edges and no upper radiator opening, just a single lower intake. At the back, there are wide shoulders and the rear window tapers."

McLaren has revealed its long-awaited, technology-packed new road car, the MP4-12C. Several of its technical features draw upon McLaren's experience in motor racing. The most notable of these is probably the extensive use of carbon fibre, which makes for an exceptionally strong and stiff body structure.