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Our man at Tokyo show

Posted on 14 November, 2017

Tokyo Motor Show 2017 was a spectacle that needs to be seen to be believed. I’m pleased I had the opportunity to attend on the media-only days as, I understand, the public days are crazy, writes Malcolm Yorston. It was crazy enough getting there on the subway at 7.30am when it was standing room only with commuters jammed in like sardines all the way from Roppongi to Shimbashi. The Yurikamome wasn’t as crowded, but it was full until we got to Daiba. Then there were some empty seats until we got to Tokyo Big Sight, the show’s venue. Once again, manufacturers were showcasing their latest models and concepts. As I walked into the East Hall, Porsche was unveiling its new Cayenne with all the hoopla that goes with it – smoke, mirrors and all. You virtually couldn’t move around the stand with the media crushing in as though I was back on the subway getting there. There were many other marques readying their stands for the unveiling of new models during the day. One thing I did note was the increased number of electric vehicles (EVs) being offered in both passenger cars and commercials, including the NZ NB-class Isuzu Elf. In the car space, Nissan released the Serena EV and it was sitting alongside the Note EV, although many – including myself – struggle to call it an EV when the power is generated by an on-board IC engine, not a plug-in. The new concept IMx was still under wraps waiting for the big reveal. Mitsubishi was displaying its new Eclipse Cross alongside its PHEV with a twin-motor 4WD platform. Subaru’s Fun Adventure was concept is basically an Outback with a tent attached to the roof rails. Its stand also had the Viziv that was launched at the show and a BRZ race-car. Toyota showcased a Vitz rally car along with EV chargers and its new Euro 6 four-cylinder turbo diesel that will be used in the Prado and Hilux. After this there was an interesting little concept called the Transmobile on Koito’s stand. Is this going to be what we will be seeing on our roads in the near future? Then there was the Mitsubishi Electric stand where the company was displaying equipment used in “connected vehicles”, plus the Emirai autonomous concept vehicle, while Suzuki exhibited its Spacia Hybrid concept car. In addition to the new NSX and S600, Honda displayed a number of motorcycles including the COTA4RT trials bike and an array of late-1960s, early-70s Cubs as well as the Clarity PHEV. Yamaha, along with the expected range of two-wheelers also devoted space to E-Bikes alongside a Yamaha guitar. For those looking for a little single-occupant vehicle, the nest stand had this lovely little concept Carmate Action 360. Don’t know that you would get much action if you were seen driving this though.   Mazda had the Roadster RF and convertible, and the Mazda 6 Vision Coupe. On to the Mercedes-Benz stand were sitting cheek by jowl we found the polar opposites in its range with the power-house AMG GT-R sitting alongside the Smart EV and, would you believe it, a Smart For 2 Brabus – surely a Brabus Smart has to be an oxymoron. Just to show that the car manufacturers don’t have EVs and concepts exclusively to themselves, Isuzu’s stand proudly displayed the new Elf EV and the FDSV concept light commercial van. The afternoon started off in the second hall where one of the first exhibits was a Toyota CH-R Hybrid proudly displayed on the J-NCAP stand. This car had been used in an offset barrier test and fared reasonably well with minimal intrusion into the survival space. What I found odd about this was all of its airbags had deployed, including side curtain, whereas my understanding is that only the appropriate airbags – dependant on occupancy of seat, sensors picking up direction of impact and so on – should be deployed. Maybe the passive restraint systems in these aren’t as sophisticated as some high-end vehicles. The rest of this hall was virtually all Toyota and Daihatsu product with Toyota showcasing its new light commercial vehicle concept, the LCV, and its disability brother, the Wonder Capsule. Both of these concepts seem to have drawn heavily on the Alphard/Velfire design. Toyota was also proudly displaying the Sora concept FCV bus. Also in this hall was the technology corner where there were interactive displays from numerous electronics manufacturers showcasing the connectivity that’s now becoming available and we will see more of in the future. One of these exhibits was housed in a 25-metre geodesic dome that you stood inside and observed a three-dimensional presentation that surrounded you and came from the ceiling to meet you. This was all about connectivity, autonomous vehicles and smart cities. It was mind-blowing. Alongside the dome there was a 4D interactive zone where you could drive a simulated connected vehicle through connected streets – again mind-blowing stuff. The message that has come through to me from this show, more than previous shows is that we are on the cusp of a paradigm shift towards autonomous EVs and connected cities. Some people may disagree, but to all those who do I ask this question. “How long ago was a man waving a red flag required to walk in front of cars to warn the populous of the approaching car?” Since the time of the man with the red flag, we have seen many changes. In my lifetime alone where there were hardly any telephones in New Zealand homes. We now carry in our pockets more computing power than NASA installed for the first lunar landing. Almost Ripley’s “believe it or not”. [ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="76" exclusions="912,929,930,931,947,954,926,909,937,949,951" sortorder="912,929,930,931,934,947,954,888,895,896,897,898,926,908,907,899,900,906,909,910,911,914,936,937,942,943,944,945,946,949,951,952,953" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_imagebrowser" ajax_pagination="1" template="/nfs/c10/h04/mnt/177029/domains/autofile.co.nz/html/wp-content/plugins/nextgen-gallery/products/photocrati_nextgen/modules/ngglegacy/view/imagebrowser-caption.php" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]Words and photos: Malcolm Yorston, technical manager of the VIA – the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association