Picture: the car being sought by police

The car at the centre of the police hunt for baby Kahu is a two-tone blue and silver Mitsubishi similar to the vehicle pictured above.

The rear registration number at the time of the kidnapping was UL3802 (a plate stolen in Auckland in 1998) or a similar number.

The car was seen twice as it left St Albans Grove and drove along Woburn Rd, Lower Hutt.

"The cars from that particular era are all very similar except for minor changes in relation to lights and grilles," the head of the investigation, Detective Superintendent Larry Reid, said yesterday.

"I would think there are literally hundreds out there - they are a very popular car. We are working towards trying to identify them all."

Kahu Durie, aged 8 months, is the daughter of Maori lawyer Donna Hall and High Court judge Eddie Durie. She was snatched from her mother on Saturday morning April 13 while the family - including two of Donna Hall's teenage nieces - were out on a regular walk in Lower Hutt.