'GREEN' car expert, Daihatsu, is to unveil a record-breaking concept car at The Sunday Times Motor Show Live together with a host of eye-catching production models - specially customised for the show. First seen at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, the UFE2 hybrid has been verified as the world's most efficient four-seater with the lowest ever recorded drag coefficient of 0.19 Cd.

Standing for Ultra Fuel Economy - the aluminium and composite-bodied minicar weighs only 570 kg and has a pleasingly tapered, teardrop shape with twin gull-wing doors hinged in the centre of the roof. The spacious four-seat interior is equally futuristic, with a central control unit housing all the major controls including a steer-by-wire system which replaces the conventional steering wheel.

Power is via a low-polluting three-cylinder 660cc direct-injection petrol engine linked to a compact, lightweight generator and permanent electric motor. The UFE2's secondary batteries are advanced nickel-metal hydride and the gearbox is an automatic CVT (continually variable transmission). Strictly monitored tests have recorded an astonishing 170 mpg-plus for the UFE2 - equivalent to travelling 60 km on one litre of fuel.