The pick of the best concept cars at TMS 2013 at different, arrestingly beautiful, more efficient aerodynamically and hence more frugal with energy and fuel, easier on tires - Nissan's BladeGlider Concept is in my mind, the "hamburger with the lot"
Representatives of 18 major Japanese automotive companies were all on stage at the same time at the Mobilityscape event, one of the highlights of the Tokyo Show (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Ken Okuyama Design showed the ‘kode9’ sports coupe which is inspired by race cars from the late sixties. Part race car, part sports car, the kode9 is a street-legal clubman racer with fully adjustable suspension all round. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The NATS EV Sports Prototype got a lot of interest as it was developed by the prestigious Nihon Automobile College and weighs in at just 350 kg.
The pick of the best concept cars at TMS 2013 at different, arrestingly beautiful, more efficient aerodynamically and hence more frugal with energy and fuel, easier on tires - Nissan's BladeGlider Concept is in my mind, the "hamburger with the lot"
The B.COM is manufactured by Toyota Auto Body is super-compact electric vehicle delivery van with an unbelievable turning circle. A hot seller in the cramped Japanese urban environment, the micro EV delivery van will almost certainly be sold somewhere near you sooner or later. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Lexus caught everyone's attention with these giant robotic humanoid sculptures even before the curtain was lifted (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Representatives of 18 major Japanese automotive companies were all on stage at the same time at the Mobilityscape event, one of the highlights of the Tokyo Show (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
There was a time when "Made in Japan" was pejorative by those who didn't know better. Now the true craftsmanship is being recognised, it was fascinating to rub shoulders with the world's leading auto makers and watch them celebrate their now very proud heritage. The Isuzu Elf was one of those vehicles. A simple change to the standard treuck architecture by using the cab-over-the-engine configuration, plus a very fuel-efficient diesel engine meant economic efficiency. The truck drove global sales and an obscure Japanese company leapt onto the world stage. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
One of those cars which caught the world's imagination via judicious movie "product placement" - the Toyota 2000GT had the extraordinarily beauty necessary but a tall Sean Connery didn't fit. No problem said Toyota, and promptly manufactured two convertibles from coupes to help create one of the defining moments for the marque. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Toyota 2000GT had the extraordinarily beauty necessary to become an official Bond movie car but lanky 007 Sean Connery didn't fit - so Toyota created two only convertibles (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
One of the classic vintage Toyotas - the 2000GT was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1965 (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
In 1964, when Toyota was busy building a brand name, the 2000GT set three world records and 13 international records for endurance and speed over an incredible 78 hour run. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
From 1967, the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S narrowly missed becoming the world's first production car to use a wankel engine, being beaten by the NSU Ro 80 luxury car, but Mazda got the reliability right and proiduces Felix Wankel's simple and reliable engine design to this day. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Looks kinda like a Renault Twizy doesn't it? In fact, it has been produced and sold in large quantities by Toyota Auto Body since 2000, with the first prototype being shown at TMS in 1999. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The B.COM is manufactured by Toyota Auto Body is super-compact electric vehicle delivery van (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The massive Japanese automotive press is joined by thousands of international journalists for this event and getting near the action is more problematic than any other motor show in the world. Toyota flew in 600 journalists from around the world for an all-expenses PR exercise this year, guaranteeing good coverage of its announcements. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
BMW's carbon fibre i8 electric supercar is a stunning automobile from any angle and fitting flagship for the new German sub-brand (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
BMW's Concept Active Tourer Outdoor (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Toyota Auto Body's P.COM somehow managed to maintain the same dimensions and become a tandem T.COM this year (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Subaru's Viziv Evolution Concept demonstrates the brand's future direction (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Subaru's Viziv Evolution Concept (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Subaru's Viziv Evolution Concept is a plug-in hybrid concept using a 1.6 liter (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Subaru's new Sports Tourer, the Levorg, features a DIT (Direct Injection Turbocharged) in either 1.6 liter or 2.0 liter engine capacities. Its stunning debut presenation featured the Levorg atop a simulator platform (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Subaru Cross Sport Design Concept (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Lexus
There are many Japansese companies which spend millions of dollars a year in R&D on very narrow areas of automotive design. Toyota Boshoku is, as the name suggests, Toyota-owned, and focuses on automotive interior systems, filters and drivetrain components. It showed it’s T-Bliss Interior Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. Fantastic to sit in, with the comfort one might expect for royalty. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Toyota Boshoku’s T-Bliss Interior Concept. This is the same company that makes the seats for BMW's new i-series sub-brand of high end vehicles and a dozen other luxury car companies, including Lexus (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
BMW's biggest announcement of the show was the 4 series Cabriolet (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
It might look the same, but it's all different under the skin - the all new MINI (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The new MINI (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Toyota provided a bank of simulators for its FV2 concept which, although fantastic fun, didn't give me much confidence that it was a realistic and viable glimpse of future transportation (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Alpina re-manufactures BMWs to give them a much higher state of tune and bespoke customization - the big announcement from the company at Tokyo was the B4 BiTurbo (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Some of the booths were so big they were like small cities - here's a coffee shop on the Toyota/Lexus booth (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Many of the local automotive magazines had more than a dozen reporters and photographers working as three or more commando teams moving ahead of the rolling press conference juggernaut and securing the key positions for photography of the major announcements. Being the major player meant Toyota's conference was the most attended and the easiest in which to find yourself in "cattle class" (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Daihatsu's product has traditionally been seen as irrelevant to many large advanced nations due to being too small and underpowered. The company's mini-sports cars and vans are leading edge in the cramped confines of Japan however, and as the world's cities and roads become ever more crowded due to urbanisation, their benefits are becoming increasingly evident and relevant. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Toyota's key presentation vehicles in Tokyo were the FV2, FCV Concept and JPN TAXI Concept. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Toyota's key presentation vehicles in Tokyo were the FV2, FCV Concept and JPN TAXI Concept. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
KTM's orange and black livery always stands out at a show and this time there were a few new offerings not before seen in Japan. The most impressive motorcycle was the 189 kg KTM 1290 Super Duke R - a 75 degree v-twin displacing 1301cc and producing 132 kW (180 HP) - do the math, imagine the acceleration and think for a minute about the extreme mass centralization. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Not much has changed with the KTM X-BOW GT - it's still positively wicked, only now it has a windshield and doors these days (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Suzuki Crosshiker (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Suzuki displayed its MotoGP prototype which will form the basis for a re-entry into top level motorcycle racing. Whether the bike is good enough is one thing, but the biggest question is whether it will have the riders to get the best out of it given the "aliens" (the elite front-running group of Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Rossi) gained another member this year in the form of new World Champion, 20-year-old Marc Marquez.
Nissan demonstrated its autonomous driving solutions of the seemingly near future. Computers are better at most driving tasks than humans, with "paying attention" being the most critical. When robotics and cars meld, our roads will be safer.
Jidosha-Seizo Co., Ltd. was established in 1933, became Nissan Motor Co.,Ltd in 1934 year and started full-scale production in 1935. This was its first car, named the 14. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
At the company's new factory in Yokohama, the first car to come off the line was this "14"(April 1935). It was powered by a new 722cc, 15ps engine. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
A distinguishing feature is the beautiful rabbit mascot created by Ryuichi Tomiya, who worked on the body design (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Interior of the "14" (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Japanese take great pride in the presentation o their stands (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
From the first car above, to the fastest car in the range in 2013, is a very long way - the 2014 Nissan GTR (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Getting an idea of the size of the Tokyo Show is difficult with images alone (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Few businessmen walk on water forever, but Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn is an example (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Renault's Desir Concept has been around for two years now. I guess it's important to see the sister brand in Japan, but Nissan is one of the poster companies representing Japan on the world stage and the focus was obviously on the Japanese Nissan brand (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Kawasaki's three-wheel J is perhaps the most outlandish yet realistically possible concept I have yet seen (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Kawasak's Estrella was one of the focal points of its stand at the TMS with many different customisation options on display for the "New Classic Sports Model" - a 250 single that really does look the part
Suzuki's "Hustler" is a minicar crossover that can play a lifestyle enabling role at the beach or in the forest or the city.
Suzuki's "Hustler" reprises a name once synonymous with its blazingly fast 250 two-stroke twins of the sixties and seventies. Wonder if anyone has told them what it means?
Mazda stand hostesses handing out press kits to the thousands of media reps.
Bridgestone showed a T.COM wearing its airless tires. I've seen them at quite a few shows over the last year so presumably availability is just around the corner.
The world's top selling two wheeler in history - the Super CUB C100. This one is circa 1960. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The biggest of the new Honda CTX range was shown as the CTX1300 Concept at Tokyo - a transverse V4 with immense torque (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Honda's new CTX700 is based on the NC700 platform and its torquey parallel twin motor and comes standard with Dual Clutch transmission and ABS (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Honda's CTX1300 (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
This was the bike that Honda first took to the Isle of Mann in 1959 - a 125cc twin with bevel driven DOHC. The establishment laughed when Honda finished sixth. They didn't laugh for long. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Ken Okuyama Design ‘kode9’ incorporates a central section of hydro-aluminum chassis, with front and rear chassis sections specially designed for this car. Weight has been optimized using lashings of carbon fiber, with many parts created using 3D printers and Yamazaki Mazak’s precision CNC cutting technology and it has resulted in a package that weighs just 890 kgs. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
With special four-pot Akebono brake calipers, the kode9 looks like unlimited fun in a very stylish package (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The interior of the Ken Okuyama Design ‘kode9’ (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Ken Okuyama Design ‘kode9’ is powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0-liter engine and generates 370 hp.
Just about everything on 4 wheels was represented at the 2013 Tokyo Show (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The world's most crowded auto show press conferences (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Japanese distributor of Radical Sportscars, Katsuyuki Sakakura with the SR3 SL model (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Built in Montreal, Canada, the T-Rex 14R is a three-wheeler powered by a 1352cc engine and six-speed transmission taken from a Kawasaki ZZR1400. Think of the power-to-weight ratio. You can buy essentially the same machine with a BMW 1600cc six cylinder engine too (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The T-Rex 14R has a retro-fitted reverse gear so you can get out of tight spots without getting out and pushing. T-Rex always displays at TMS. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The T-Rex V13R uses a Harley-Davidson 1300 motor - with 122 hp, it offers grunt and rumble and a pretty good power-to-weight ratio. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
One could be excused for thinking Smart makes more concept cars than normal ones. In this case, Smart collaborated with furniture manufacturer and designer BoConcept to produce this BoCencept version of the Smart fortwo (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mercedes' utilitarian G Class apparently sells well in Japan, a country with one of the highest concentrations of people per square inch in the developed world. Go figure. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mitsubishi's Concept XR-PHEV is a combination coupe and SUV with a front engine, front wheel drive and PHEV (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mitsubishi rolled out the car that finished second in the electric vehicle class at the 2013 Pikes Peak Hillclimb. It's a serious bit of kit too with two motors in the front, two in the back and Mitsubishi's S-AWC Vehicle Dynamics Control System choreographing it all. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mitsubishi's Concept XR-PHEV is a combination coupe and SUV (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The awesome Honda FC6 (AKA Valkyrie), is not quite as heavy as it looks, and much lighter than its touring bike cousin, the GL1800. It makes more than 90 ft-lbs of torque from 1500 rpm to 5000 rpm. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Honda's stand featured the NSX Concept and the S660 Concept - the former a next-generation direct-injected V6 with a Sport Hybrid SH-AWD hybrid system, the latter a mini sports car with both likely to be in production within two years. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The swooping angularity of the Honda NSX Concept (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Yamaha is looking to broaden its product offerings with a Leaning Three-Wheel concept named Tricity (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Tricity will be lighter and more compact than other three-wheelers on the market with a dry weight of 150 kg (331 lb), and has an automatic transmission and 125 cc, liquid-cooled 4-stroke engine. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Viking EPS is Yamaha's first three-person recreational off-highway (ROV) designed with multi-purpose off-road driving in mind. It runs a 686cc liquid-cooled, four-valve, fuel-injected single. It's success in the American market has resulted in it being readied for release in Japan, though I can't imagine there's a lot of off-road riding to be had in this crowded environment.
Yamaha unveiled a concept parallel-twin, 250cc bike named the R25. Looks a lot like an R1 doesn't it. That will certainly help sales when it is inevitably released, probably sooner rather than later.
Yamaha has now been making its PAS pedal-electric bicycles for 20 years, and in celebration of that milestone, produced the eye-catching one-off YPJ-01 for the Tokyo Motor Show. Full story
Mitsubishi's EK Space is a new super height wagon minicar co-developed by Mitsubishi and Nissan - it really makes the most possible use of the minicar footprint and will undoubtedly be just as useful in cramped urban conditions beyond Japan. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mitsubishi's Concept AR is a compact MPV with an interesting, very flexible seating layout and plenty of room for six people. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mitsubishi's EV racecar that finished second in the electric vehicle class at the 2013 Pikes Peak Hillclimb. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Fuso showed a specially-designed "Moving Pit" concept for mobile maintenance solutions - it includes a modular solution for the carrying of all types of tools and equipment such as air compressors, generators, welding machines and engine oil changers.
Sebastien Ogier's 2013 World Rally Championship winning Volkswagen Polo R WRC took pride of place on the Volkswagen stand. Don't think that's Seb though. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Jaguar's F-Type Coupe (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Mazda had a driving simulator available for trying out its new heads-up display which will begin rolling out in 2014 with the Mazda Axela first to benefit. The idea is that with the heads-ip display puts the information you need from the dashboard right in front of you so you don't need to glance down. Think "Top Gun" for cars.
The ability to visualise the benefits of new technologies has never been greater, or funnier. Four wise monkeys.
Yokahama's AERO-Y EV concept looked a treat, though it is more a demonstration of the company's manufacturing technologies than any real chance of being manufactured.
Yokahama's AERO-Y electric concept car
The once clear delineation between the car and motorcycle has become somewhat muddied in recent times with the emergence of an array of narrow tracked vehicle designs sporting two, three and four wheels. Kawasaki threw another fascinating oddity into the ring at the Tokyo Motor Show with the unveiling of the outlandish, shape-shifting "J" 3-wheel electric vehicle concept.
Four Link Systems showed the "Mirai Project" prototype of a Gundam car designed by thirty-year-veteran Gundam designer Kunio Akawara. The Mirai Project will spawn a Japanese version of the Hiriko folding car that will appeal to the Japanese public. True, you couldn't make this up. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The NATS EV Sports Prototype was developed by the prestigious Nihon Automobile College and weighs in at just 350 kg.
The NATS EV Sports Prototype from Nihon Automobile College
The NATS EV Sports Prototype from Nihon Automobile College, a college with over 800 students learning all facets of automobile servicing, production, design ad infinitum
The NATS EV Sports Prototype was developed by the prestigious Nihon Automobile College, a technical college teaching all the skills required for a placement in the auto industry.
Japanese company Alpine's display - once the company specialised in car radios, then car audio but with the mobile internet revolution and myriad media options, has updated its "raison d'etre" to mobile media
Toyota's Winglet has been updated - I tried it two years ago at the last TMS and it is truly fantastic. The greatest irony is that I tried an equally awesome clone in Shanghai earlier this year - so Toyota did the design and development, then someone else reverse engineered it and got it to market well in advance of the original. There is still no release date set for the Winglet
Smiles everywhere when Honda's UNI-CUB was available for test rides - you really do need to experience how easy it is to ride. Granny will have no trouble.
Isuzu also makes SUVs
Isuzu's press desk
Subaru stand at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Toyota’s Prius C is known as the Aqua in Japan. Recently created Toyota subsidiary Toyota Motor East actually makes the Aqua for Toyota, and now it makes other variations too. Its stand at Tokyo featured three different remakes of the Aqua – the Aqua Cross, the Aqua G Sports and this very tasty Aqua Air – a compact open hybrid. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The open top Toyota Prius C is to be sold in Japan as the Aqua Air plug-in hybrid (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
One of the more interesting displays at the Tokyo Motor Show was that of Kaito, an automotive lighting company focussing on next generation product.
Kaito's "Light of the Future" is both a lighting and a communication tool and one which I'd never seen previously. In addition to such leading edge lighting technologies as Laser headlamps and adaptive driving beams, the company offers light painting and Messagelight.
Messagelight offers driver-to-driver and vehicle-to-driver communications
Light painting from Kaito offers alerts to drivers and pedestrians by optically drawing arrows, diagrams and messages onto the road to drivers and pedestrians
Light painting from Kaito offers alerts to drivers and pedestrians by optically drawing arrows, diagrams and messages onto the road to drivers and pedestrians
The granularity of the automotive industry in Japan can be seen by the existence of several "concept seats" such as this X-1 Concept from TACHI-S
The granularity of the automotive industry in Japan can be seen by the existence of several "concept seats" such as this X-1 Concept from TACHI-S
Bridgestone's airless tyre is a fascination of structural forces and mathematical complexity
Suzuki showed the ET4D, a next generation electric senior vehicle with voice guidance to assist with the operation of the vehicle.
Suzuki showed the ET4D, a next generation electric senior vehicle with voice guidance to assist with the operation of the vehicle.
The Gran Turismo 6 booth
The ACN Personal Mobility Vehicle is designed for use on footpaths and has a sophisticated two-phase pedestrian and hazard detection system. It comes in both 2WD and 4WD
The ACN Personal Mobility Vehicle has a charge time of one hour, a top speed of 18 km/h and a range of 30 km and was designed at Nihon University
Alpine demonstrated Perfect F.I.T. (Factory Integration Technology) offering a much bigger screen for navigation plus better sound (claimed).
The D-FACE by Durax is a car designed to enable easier ingress and egress in a micro vehicle
The D-FACE by Durax is a car designed to enable easier ingress and egress in a micro vehicle
That's me trying it out yet another simulator - a Toyota simulator for an electric vehicle which was quite realistic and quite similar to several other EVs I actually got to drive from Honda and Nissan
When you think of Bridgestone, you probably think of tires. The fact is, though, the company also makes bicycles, golf equipment, and has tried its hand at motorcycles. Bridgestone designer Shungo Fujita decided to combine all three things in one stunning concept vehicle – a pedal-electric trike that can carry a set of golf clubs, or anything else for that matter.
The ZieD α1 is a specially designed vehicle for two people where one is physically handicapped (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The ZieD α1 is a two-person EV with four-wheel-steering (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Japanese "booth babes" are definitely the friendliest in the world.
All these micro EVs may look similar but they are not all the same with a different badge. This one is from Kobot, which made a big splash two years ago with its ride-on electric vehicles
Honda's CB1100EX is a modern bike with modern dash and retro styling, including spoked wheels (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Honda's CB1100EX is a modern bike with modern dash and retro styling, including spoked wheels (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Tesla's stand was small but its impact was big. You can easily see how the weight of the batteries has been used to lower the centre of gravity of the vehicle. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Tesla's stand attracted so much interest that getting clear air to take a shot of the Model S was impossible. The S is designed to offer the responsiveness and handling of a sports car with the ride quality of a luxury sedan and you can see how that was achieved from the previous image. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Simulators were everywhere – simulators far more advanced than anything available at any level a decade ago were commonplace on the show floor at Tokyo’s Big Site and few were as impressive Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 6 which will be released worldwide on December 6, 2013. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Gran Turismo 6 game display involved eight simulators running the game continuously, an equal number of really helpful, highly-trained, very knowledgeable hosts and hostesses to strap you into the seat and get you started. Once the doors opened to the public, the queue stretched out of sight. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Once the doors opened to the public, the queue to try out Gran Turismo 6 stretched out of sight (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Yamaha Motor Company President and CEOHiroyuki Yanagi and Gordon Murray announced the MOTIV city car
The new Honda DUNK scooter has a tiny engine but not one without extraordinary craftsmanship and detailed high-tech design - that's a liquid-cooled and fuel-injected 50cc motor folks (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The press were everywhere - not like most shows where marketing guys from every other company get in the way of the professionals, but an unprecedented mass of photographers and journalists (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Honda's new 50cc CUB scooter might look inconsequential but it features a small open storage cubby below the ignition, and then a locking mini-glovebox on the left side with a USB socket inside. I think this is the first USB port on a production scooter or indeed any production two-wheeler. Expect a lot more. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
I still can't get over the DUNK - a side mounted radiator, gas tank under the floorboard, a camshaft driven water pump and ACG starting technology which means there's no starter motor. I love Honda's engenuity. (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Those little boxes were full of some sweet and very potent sake. Japanese hospitality is second to none, and at the show's opening Mobilityscape conference, it was even better than that.
The number of solutions for various facets of the electric vehicle recharging architecture was simply staggering in its number. Dozens of home charging systems for EVs, plus this solution from RESC.
The X-Lander concept shown by Suzuki is based on the diminutive Jimny off-roader, only with a hybrid drive-train (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The interior of the Suzuki X-Lander concept (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The dashboard of the Suzuki X-Lander concept is particularly good at fitting all the information you might require into a very small and easily readable space - very impressive (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
The Suzuki X-Lander concept uses a hybrid drive train with a 1.3 liter motor and an unspecified EV, an automatically-controlled manual transmission (Photo: Mike Hanlon / Gizmag.com)
Another simulator - this one from Toyota
Lexus makes luxury cars, and bicycles. As a result, it's now possible to buy a US$10,000 Lexus F Sport road bike, while a pedal-electric commuter may or may not be on its way to production. At this year's Tokyo Motor Show, however, a new Lexus bike was unveiled ... the NXB Concept mountain bike.
View gallery - 227 images
If you love cars and motorcycles, the Tokyo Motor Show is one of those events which is always worth attending. It's home ground for 15 automakers, hundreds of automotive component manufacturers, and the highest concentration of R&D for every facet of public and personal transport in the world.
The title of the world's most important automotive show is one that has regularly been passed around, with Tokyo, Detroit (NAIAS) and the annually alternating Paris/Frankfurt, and Beijing/Shanghai events, all having held the mantle at some time in the past three decades.
With six manufacturers in the top 15 automotive manufacturers in the world (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Suzuki, Mazda and Mitsubishi), Japan is still one of the automotive powerhouses, though China is now the largest producer and consumer of cars and motorcycles, and India's star is also on the rise. Logically, the show that influences the most consumers and producers should be the most important, and hence Tokyo is still a top three show.
That list is just for starters though, as there are a lot more manufacturers with strong global brands built from decades of building reliable machinery such as Daihatsu, Subaru, Hino, Isuzu, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Fuso and UD.
In all, Japan can boast 14 important global names in the transport and personal transport industries and there are a host of smaller manufacturers set to play a vital role as the development of personal transport continues its trend towards truly personal one- and two-person transport.
The world's roads are headed for gridlock if everyone in emerging countries is to have the freedom of transport enjoyed previously by the people of America, western Europe and a select few advanced economies, over the next decade or two.
The entire system needs an overhaul and new modes of transport with a smaller footprint and far greater energy efficiency. If the grid is to adequately support electric vehicles, Japan will provide most of the answers – I counted more than a dozen different manufacturers of home recharging systems on display at the famous Big Sight venue in Tokyo.
What's more, the country is well advanced in many of the areas which will become vitally important over the next few decades.
In particular, Japan's massive R&D expenditure on robotics and autonomous systems, intelligent public road infrastructure (both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure), intelligent driver aids and information systems, electric and fuel-cell vehicles, fuel and energy efficiency technologies, composites and other materials sciences, and hundreds of smaller facets of one of the world's biggest industries.
In particular, the Japanese producers of personal transport are among the most creative in the sphere and their concept vehicles in general, and in the area of micro vehicles for transporting one or two people in particular, are the most interesting.
The Tokyo Motor Show is a motor show like no other, and we've been scouring the show floor to bring you the best of what's on display at the 2013 event.
Click through to the galleryto see our pictorial overview.
As a photojournalist, Mike’s work has been published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He has edited or managed over 75 different print publications, each with a different target audience: sports, automotive, advertising, marketing, design, ad infinitum. Mike has been working in the internet for more than 25 years and was the veteran of five internet start-ups before founding New Atlas in 2002.
4 comments
BigGoofyGuy
IMO, if the X-Lander concept was sold in America, I don't think Suzuki would have left the American market. I think it is really nice.
Slowburn
Having the photographer trying to capture the subject rather than photographs as art is nice.
mgb
Good Job, Mike Hanlon!
I guess it is near impossible to cover everything at the TMS but there is another Toyota key exhibit -a fourth one- to the right of the Jpn taxi concept, a tilting covered (tandem?) 3-wheeler, which I think should have merited a few words and at least one photo (seen doing circles for a few seconds at the tail end of this BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25026322). Isn't the future of transport in vehicles such as these? [Ed note: Gizmag detailed the Toyota i-Road when it was revealed at Geneva in March - http://www.gizmag.com/toyota-i-road-full-enclosed-tilting-electric-three-wheeler/26498/]
Timing Tim
Many thanks for this extensive review Mike.
Reminiscing a bit, I attended the 10th Tokyo Motor Show in 1963. I was told while there that I was the first "Western" freelance journalist to attend the show.
Major items I recall was Honda's very first car with spine chassis, 600cc East West motor I think.
Also Yamaha announced their Autolube, the first 2-stroke manufacturer to move away from pre-mix for 2-stroke engines.
Most of the cars & some of the motorcycles were near copies of Western makes models.
When I sent the photos & editorial to a British motor magazine they published just a small column & photo of the Honda car, with an editorial comment to say something like "The British motor Industry has nothing to worry about from the Asian vehicles". How wrong they were! BTW about a year ago you did an article on the 25th anniversary of the World Superbike Championship. Actually the series was instigated & started a couple of years earlier than that by an American, an Australian & 2 New Zealanders. I have more details if you would like a read. Tim
Isn't the future of transport in vehicles such as these?
[Ed note: Gizmag detailed the Toyota i-Road when it was revealed at Geneva in March - http://www.gizmag.com/toyota-i-road-full-enclosed-tilting-electric-three-wheeler/26498/]
BTW about a year ago you did an article on the 25th anniversary of the World Superbike Championship. Actually the series was instigated & started a couple of years earlier than that by an American, an Australian & 2 New Zealanders. I have more details if you would like a read. Tim