Renault Initiale Paris stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

It may seem like a strange idea for Renault to launch its Initiale Paris premium sub-brand at a German motor show, but it could turn out to be quite an astute move. The French brand is hoping to take on the Germans with Initiale Paris, so showcasing this rather wonderful concept in Frankfurt is a clear signal of intent. Renault says this Initiale Paris concept previews the next generation Espace, but we can't help but see a massive dollop of Renault Avantime when we take a wander around the car.

Gordon Murray Design T27 crash tested

The original Smart car probably did more than its fair share to persuade us that small cars needn't necessarily be unsafe. But now Gordon Murray is on the same mission: to persuade us that his titchy T27 city car is as safe as houses too. Gordon Murray Design has just issued its first crash test results, showing a T27 electric car after a crash test at the UK's MIRA industry research lab.  The crash test in question was the European-standard 40% offset deformable barrier front high-speed impact.

Audi R5, Porsche 550, VW Bluesport 'on hold'

Numerous indications are pointing to the exciting mid-engined VW, Porsche and Audi sports cars being on ice. The group had been collaborating to develop the VW Bluesport, Porsche 550 and Audi R5 - some observers had hailed the new roadsters as the Elise from Germany. Porsche doubts over the 550 But at the weekend Porsche CEO Matthias Muller told German business rag Wirtschaftswoche that he was worried a cheaper Porsche may dilute the brand's image.