Night hawks

Motor industry players from around the world are heading for Frankfurt next  week to sell cars, rub shoulders and survey the competition. And they won’t be disappointed by Europe’s biggest motor show. The drapery will come off no fewer than 122 new car models - including 80 world premières - and component suppliers are promising over 100 innovations. For many, Frankfurt will also offer a first look at some of the Chinese brands hoping to break into the European market.

The biennial showcase should put a spring of optimism in the steps of European motor moguls whose outlooks, and bottom lines, have been dented by the weak dollar and strong oil prices.

But engineers, marketing gurus and road safety campaigners will be taking a careful look at a new technology that could help to save some of the 9,000 pedestrians and cyclists killed yearly by cars on Europe’s roads. Another 200,000 injuries result from accidents, with the hours of darkness being the most dangerous. Few will challenge the argument that the time is right for drivers to benefit from systems such as military-style night vision technology.