Futuristic concept cars, plug-in hybrids, zero-emission electric vehicles and even a hydrogen-powered scooter jostled for the limelight as the Tokyo Motor Show kicked off yesterday.
From a super-skinny Nissan electric car that leans when going around bends, to a lightweight Toyota sports car and a Daihatsu vehicle with a design based on a basket, Japanese makers showed off their visions of the future.
While hybrids are still a big feature, electric cars are competing for attention at this year’s show as technological breakthroughs in rechargeable batteries bring mass-produced zero emission cars closer to reality.
PHOTO: AFP
Foreign makers are almost entirely absent at this year’s show, now dominated by the Japanese makers, which are pinning their hopes on growing interest in fuel-efficient automobiles to rescue them from a brutal industry slump.
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, displayed a new version of its electric concept car, the FT-EV II, as well as a Prius plug-in hybrid.
The pioneer of hybrids thinks that such vehicles, which have a petrol engine and an electric motor, will be “the core of the auto market in the future,” Toyota Motor president Akio Toyoda said.
But he said: “Toyota is not limiting itself to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The era of reinventing the automobile is nearly upon us.”
Toyota also showed off a new lightweight, concept sports car inspired by the iconic Corolla AE86 coupe of the 1980s, along with a Lexus two-seat supercar with a 4.8-liter engine and a price tag of about US$375,000.
Sales of the Lexus, which is set to go into production next year, will be limited to just 500 worldwide.
Nissan meanwhile unveiled a concept car that leans to the side when going around bends. Just 1.1m wide, the “Land Glider” seats two people — one in the front and one in the back. Inspired by motorbikes and glider aircraft, it has tilting wheels that enable it to lean by up to 17 degrees. Nissan says it may start selling the car if there is enough interest.
It will also put its Leaf plug-in electric car on public display for the first time at the show, which opens to general visitors near Tokyo on Saturday and runs until Nov. 4. The mid-sized car will go on sale late next year.
“Leaf will make waves in our industry as the world’s first affordable zero-emission car,” Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said.
“The time is now for zero emissions. Sustainable mobility is within our reach. We stand on the threshold of a new era in the automotive industry,” he said.
While Nissan lags behind its bigger rivals in hybrids, it is one step ahead in electric cars. Toyota has said it aims to launch an electric car by 2012.
From Honda comes the EV-N, a new electric concept car with a retro look that can store a one-wheel personal mobility device inside its door.
Fuel cells, which run on hydrogen and emit only water, also make an appearance at the Tokyo show as Honda and Suzuki put on display cars powered by the technology.
There is even a fuel-cell scooter and a fuel-cell wheelchair from Suzuki.
Proponents of hydrogen-powered vehicles say they are the only true zero emission technology as fossil fuels are often burned to generate electricity, particularly in emerging countries like China and India.
While the high production cost of fuel-cell vehicles poses a significant challenge, some think they may eventually overtake plug-in electric cars.
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