Japan Gets In Gear:Tokyo Motor Show 2007

The dust has settled on the Tokyo Motor Show, traditionally the outlet for the industry’s most avant-garde predictions.<br /><br />2007’s debuts didn’t disappoint, although the host country’s penchant for bizarre city cars is starting to look rather less eccentric as public perception shifts in their favor.<br /><br />As well as some cracking urban concepts from Honda, Toyota and Nissan, here’s <a href="http://www.wallpaper.com">Wallpaper</a>'s round-up of the show’s scattering of the bold and the brave. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGmQkJ-LqosqwXEIn1CAU8doXgyPB21KGctCoAS1gAym2uJDwy06c3dm3Q3oQfWDcs_jcClp2Io1_IJn0h4C_wwcYVgU8Tok8jb71Q-cAvhsRCPnyXouJBLhfX8A-cWssqexA3jKkktzu/s1600-h/LEXUS_LF-Xh+concept.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130561197404572706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGmQkJ-LqosqwXEIn1CAU8doXgyPB21KGctCoAS1gAym2uJDwy06c3dm3Q3oQfWDcs_jcClp2Io1_IJn0h4C_wwcYVgU8Tok8jb71Q-cAvhsRCPnyXouJBLhfX8A-cWssqexA3jKkktzu/s400/LEXUS_LF-Xh+concept.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above: Lexus LF-Xh concept<br />As a luxury brand, Lexus doesn’t dabble in the small scale. It is, however, fully committed to lowering emissions, so while the size of the LF-Xh concept was an eye-opener in these eco-conscious times, the news that the urban SUV packed the latest version of the company’s tried and tested hybrid drive was far more welcome.<br /><br />The concept is sleek but not improbably so, and many elements of the design will make their way into next year’s new RX model. The wrap-around, folding interior structure seems strongly influenced by contemporary architecture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKT-QVnVIQ35odnq-c5ewmjO7AEWfsnIPX-6zOIb-WgXhkV-n-rLXNKVWM_ELtCyKHcZLSuxe0V1edTWJiIcAgEj-BBWuP638phd00qMqZRJ2nNIUlcWoxAHMn-PRsceMusGmp4rCI2rk5/s1600-h/Audi+metroproject+quattroconcept.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130562258261494866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKT-QVnVIQ35odnq-c5ewmjO7AEWfsnIPX-6zOIb-WgXhkV-n-rLXNKVWM_ELtCyKHcZLSuxe0V1edTWJiIcAgEj-BBWuP638phd00qMqZRJ2nNIUlcWoxAHMn-PRsceMusGmp4rCI2rk5/s400/Audi+metroproject+quattroconcept.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above: Audi metroproject quattro concept<br />Mindful that the media’s eyes would be drawn to the more unusual fare on show, few major Western manufacturers brought all-new models to the show. Audi were the exception, and while the metroproject is ostensibly a design study, it’s actually a near production-ready version of 2009’s A1 city car.<br /><br />The concept uses a mild hybrid drive to keep emissions down, while the swooping roof line gives the car an easily identifiable silhouette. The metro project also includes Audi’s new in-car remote control, a hand held device designed to control the car’s functions (try switching on the heater before you’ve even stepped out of the front door on a winter’s morning). Expect the idea to spread across the company’s entire range before long.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPAMW4hrCNH-ApHZGsgibBVw85zf5eBT03qA8raBCeNx6vVoc9jknRJl7A-1U3SMVdmX5F1rPiiG2FCLAV3yfuOLxfhZeFKJh5yXiGiWOL7reVxUd8um0_Yu_HIIePhFPnyi3_gz2DKEK/s1600-h/testuser5_nov2007_04_HONDA_FXaaj3_vMaypg.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130562984110967906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPAMW4hrCNH-ApHZGsgibBVw85zf5eBT03qA8raBCeNx6vVoc9jknRJl7A-1U3SMVdmX5F1rPiiG2FCLAV3yfuOLxfhZeFKJh5yXiGiWOL7reVxUd8um0_Yu_HIIePhFPnyi3_gz2DKEK/s400/testuser5_nov2007_04_HONDA_FXaaj3_vMaypg.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above: Honda CR-Z Concept<br />The CR-Z offered a rather more believable view of the future than most concepts on show. Standing for ‘Compact Renaissance - Zero’, the car’s anteater-like snout and extreme wedge shape all hint at a low drag shape.<br /><br />Intended as a sporting take on the ubiquitous hatchback, expect elements of the CR-Z to surface in the 2009 model year, with hybrid power on board right from the start. Sadly, the neon-striped spaceship feel of the interior might not make it to the showroom.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXJ0mDJcfxxXsyIrkH0t0bqB7ZjCO-MoZVLHi1nkSvYgcREUWbF4ht3MgLILZiBzmyXz-vsA39SYPPxXMSooGKJXQg3mWtGlk2xVMOJj1HfYImETLjHhJcFpY8BuGKF0B0lIK2Fvq4lNJ/s1600-h/mitsubishiimev.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130563503802010738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXJ0mDJcfxxXsyIrkH0t0bqB7ZjCO-MoZVLHi1nkSvYgcREUWbF4ht3MgLILZiBzmyXz-vsA39SYPPxXMSooGKJXQg3mWtGlk2xVMOJj1HfYImETLjHhJcFpY8BuGKF0B0lIK2Fvq4lNJ/s400/mitsubishiimev.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above: Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport<br />A sporting variant on the Mitsubishi i, the i MiEV Sport is a low-slung fastback city car, with a scarab-shaped bodyshell and an all-electric, all-wheel drive power train.<br /><br />Foam green bodywork offsets the high-tech goings on below, including solar cells in the roof and a miniature wind turbine concealed behind the grill. The two plus two is pitched at the sporting environmentalist - an oxymoronic consumer profile the auto industry is keen to cultivate.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnr-eSVe_KiII0ogiFe-yCqFqM9_tyik0gF8HeqfOVodonZs1_BGy_JZbBimJIZAvI8roGZJhfX-zjFAc5WBCC3NcOVSgf-uM23TxG60MzUPpRXm_3vmgY9R2y6mZSHvKp-gxBmSVk8n_/s1600-h/suzukipixy&sharingcoach.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130561334843526194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnr-eSVe_KiII0ogiFe-yCqFqM9_tyik0gF8HeqfOVodonZs1_BGy_JZbBimJIZAvI8roGZJhfX-zjFAc5WBCC3NcOVSgf-uM23TxG60MzUPpRXm_3vmgY9R2y6mZSHvKp-gxBmSVk8n_/s400/suzukipixy&sharingcoach.png" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above:Suzuki Pixy and Sharing Coach<br />In the future, Suzuki’s futurists expect we’ll want a car that fragments into smaller vehicles, taking each occupant a stage further on their individual journeys. This ‘sustainable mobility’ concept is embodied in the SSC, the Suzuki Sharing Coach.<br /><br />Essentially a box on wheels, each SSC can contain two PIXYs, a curious personal transportation module with an upright stance and the ability to enter buildings. It’s a solution to a problem that doesn’t yet exist, but Suzuki are banking on the pod people taking over the pavements of tomorrow as a response to smog-shrouded roadways.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6gqjO09NzxkOozuMatKKIb7Xd34Oo3sg2jQceTuFJxO-x0K18yoCwgVfLM2z4ItEZEGGJlrb7AdANLLoPMGHERPhvMRHmHmpuXOuTEAaWYkIAFXoHlDD-9tPAb5lgy1STgeyWrlt-l9W/s1600-h/Nissan+INTIMA.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130564319845796994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6gqjO09NzxkOozuMatKKIb7Xd34Oo3sg2jQceTuFJxO-x0K18yoCwgVfLM2z4ItEZEGGJlrb7AdANLLoPMGHERPhvMRHmHmpuXOuTEAaWYkIAFXoHlDD-9tPAb5lgy1STgeyWrlt-l9W/s400/Nissan+INTIMA.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGTFwL-ImhMAn85g39Am45Bz3sRGR80-SDqWWO9FmbmWAt05RXa_mcw0-TkuHFwzhzZRpNIOqHUlSV5DPbaL7fWUSCYaPubEh_uyf9fCifd47KTmU_Jh_rtfpWg3z4Djs-tKVnzWIUPzl/s1600-h/nissanINTIMA2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130564813767036050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGTFwL-ImhMAn85g39Am45Bz3sRGR80-SDqWWO9FmbmWAt05RXa_mcw0-TkuHFwzhzZRpNIOqHUlSV5DPbaL7fWUSCYaPubEh_uyf9fCifd47KTmU_Jh_rtfpWg3z4Djs-tKVnzWIUPzl/s400/nissanINTIMA2.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br /><br />Above: Nissan Intima<br />Big saloons still sell by the boatload in Asia. Nissan’s Intima looks relatively conventional but is saved from mass-market dreariness by the clamshell doors that open up the cavernous interior and the teardrop-shaped windscreen that extends high over the passenger seats.<br /><br />The thought of seats that swivel round to deposit you on the pavement might appeal to Japan’s fast-ageing population, although the firm is pitching this as a, and we quote, ‘New-generation Saloon for People with a Sophisticated, Discerning Eye for Beauty’.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pxe_iWVqsOL35hf6lXaR776wg3W8XnUGXtRk1-KyJV8BhI0AdA8zJvoVRjTNLfojsilokhI0VlnRo-54ojaYNfn8xG0kJcdL_GdunNqivK636L2IFpGkoXddrTWiovEYGz-uaBc49Kzn/s1600-h/nissanrdbx.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130564869601610914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pxe_iWVqsOL35hf6lXaR776wg3W8XnUGXtRk1-KyJV8BhI0AdA8zJvoVRjTNLfojsilokhI0VlnRo-54ojaYNfn8xG0kJcdL_GdunNqivK636L2IFpGkoXddrTWiovEYGz-uaBc49Kzn/s400/nissanrdbx.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above: Nissan RD/BX<br />Nissan’s ‘Round Box’ Concept epitomises the current trend towards the toy-like, a bulked-up four-seater that features a bluff frontage and open-air top. In corporate speak that translates into a ‘Youth-Oriented Compact Convertible’, hence the emphasis on being a mobile social environment. The driver gets the usual quota of lights and dials, while the satnav system can be accessed by anyone (sure to cause a few arguments).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLqQtxd_yNfJdffi5WdvczANEltsyQqkN92iPknkc5fsmvaN1r7gHbOM0EG0IrT4K0tBaFeWA2lzz2NDsvDkHmMyyyF8Wm_3xbzCEQtnGL2fxt16iUYGGXYypzbgyhJzfLiVDDTI8BSfJ/s1600-h/daihatsu.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130565492371868850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLqQtxd_yNfJdffi5WdvczANEltsyQqkN92iPknkc5fsmvaN1r7gHbOM0EG0IrT4K0tBaFeWA2lzz2NDsvDkHmMyyyF8Wm_3xbzCEQtnGL2fxt16iUYGGXYypzbgyhJzfLiVDDTI8BSfJ/s400/daihatsu.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above:Daihatsu Mud Master-C<br />With its Tonka Toy moniker and four-square stance, the Mud Master-C is an almost comically cute reinterpretation of the classic go-anywhere utility vehicle. Reminiscent of any number of ultra-tough models from the classic Unimog onwards, the Mud Master-C was actually developed in collaboration with one of Japan’s leading mountain bikers, Raita Suzuki, as a ‘support vehicle.’ Deliveries never need be delayed again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6lR4a4ymHUnRynivplg06IyTWoylvni1k7OP8pjfWTELBaxUKv84wpqwUcEsvxCQibCEj6TMcpxEALYD0sQfGQrHyn7oYYu3H-MIgKbNCopBlsuHYu-FKZpJc__7eatoAL14JuRcY4P5/s1600-h/toyota+RiN.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130565947638402242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6lR4a4ymHUnRynivplg06IyTWoylvni1k7OP8pjfWTELBaxUKv84wpqwUcEsvxCQibCEj6TMcpxEALYD0sQfGQrHyn7oYYu3H-MIgKbNCopBlsuHYu-FKZpJc__7eatoAL14JuRcY4P5/s400/toyota+RiN.jpg" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzesyKnvP6nZDkuCMnmNcjXUiyZLfHvJtKE9aILKKRJmxJAzkc3Tcv-oTqj0pP_n5PUqoiEepIN4mDHbh5UAEvxshfodqIOOLD7w-nexiLMhxSeePwiG4IGXotbsqEOmobKRBo8hjA06R/s1600-h/toyota+Hi-CT.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130561721390582850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzesyKnvP6nZDkuCMnmNcjXUiyZLfHvJtKE9aILKKRJmxJAzkc3Tcv-oTqj0pP_n5PUqoiEepIN4mDHbh5UAEvxshfodqIOOLD7w-nexiLMhxSeePwiG4IGXotbsqEOmobKRBo8hjA06R/s400/toyota+Hi-CT.png" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a><br />Above: Toyota RiN / Toyota Hi-CT<br />While Toyota’s 1/X hybrid concept was relatively conventional, the company let loose its creative juices with the RiN and Hi-CT. The latter was a joystick-steered, mini utility vehicle, with an upright cab and space on the back platform to haul anything you please. Plug-in hybrid drive comes as standard.<br /><br />The RiN was even more avant-garde, a push-me-pull-you style urban vehicle inspired by tea houses and the dream of zero emissions. The white bodywork was decorated with organic forms, and the green carpet was a not-so-subtle way of turning the driving experience into a soothing walk in the park.<br /><br /><i>Source: Wallpaper Magazine</i>

Japan Gets In Gear:Tokyo Motor Show 2007

The dust has settled on the Tokyo Motor Show, traditionally the outlet for the industry’s most avant-garde predictions. 2007’s debuts didn’t...

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