Brian Clegg went to the Motor Show in the Birmingham NEC in search of anything vaguely IT in the motor industry. He almost came away disappointed, but then he found...
the virtual car showroom

I've just returned from the Motor Show at the Birmingham NEC. Strangely, despite both being technology driven, cars and computers seem to be uncomfortable bedfellows. Maybe it's because car enthusiasts like to pose, while computer freaks prefer to be locked away in a darkened room, but whatever the reason, the motor show is not generally awash with information technology. Apart from the inevitable in-car navigation systems and a rather pathetic touch screen application on the Porsche stand, almost the only computer in sight was in the hands of a pair of rather embarrassed looking Microsoft employees lurking in the back of a Citroen Synergie. They were there to demonstrate the reality of the mobile office, but no-one seemed all that interested.

It's another exciting exhibition at...