It's been a very long day today. I headed out to the Makuhari Messe exhibition center in Chiba nice an early ready for a day of shooting at the 41st Tokyo Motorshow. It was a very strange show, the quietest one I've ever been to that's for sure, with only the Japanese manufacturers participating for 2009, along with a handful of a few other exhibitors like Lotus, Caterham and Alpina. Despite this however there was plenty of interesting cars to feast my eyes on, and there is no doubt Toyota and Lexus took center stage this year as we finally got to see, after a string of concepts and even a race car (!), the production version of the $400,000 Lexus LF-A…
…not to mention the FT-86, probably the most anticipated Japanese sports car concept of the last few years. We have seen pictures before, but this little car is even better up close. It's very compact, sits nice and low and has very modern and flowing lines…
…not to mention some nice touches like a rear carbon diffuser. It deserves a more in-depth look so stay tuned for a more detailed post highlighting its main features.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda made a great speech when presenting the FT-hachiroku, admitting that the lack of sports cars in the last decade from Toyota is kind of their fault, not due to the consumer's lack of interest like is often quoted. But things are about to change and that is great news. He then headed straight to the Lexus stand to present the LF-A to the world, by revving the 4.8L V10 a few times before the curtains dropped around the car.
There is no doubting that Leuxs put a lot of effort into perfecting the LF-A. It kind of had to since the Nissan GT-R hit the scene two years ago, rewriting the rulebook when it comes to performance.
Under the carbon fiber hood sits the individually throttled V10, kicking out 560 HP, allowing the LF-A to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 sec.
The interior is simply awesome; there is a sense of occasion about it, tons of carbon fiber detailing and an overall innovative design. I will focus on the LF-A on a later post, as it deserves a lot more space!
Previously seen at Frankfurt, the Lexus LF-ch is a worthy contender for the BMW 1-series and Audi A3, packing a unmistakably Japanese design in an very appealing shape. The profile view and the glasshouse kind of reminds me of the VW Scirocco.
Toyota was pretty much impossible to top this year but Honda was right behind with the CR-Z concept, the spiritual successor to the CR-X. The actual production car will debut at the Detroit show in January and, unlike the concept, will most definitely be a two seater. Honda is certain it will impress with the CR-Z, but I look forward to finding this out by myself to really see if a hybrid car can actually feel like a true sports car.
The little EV-N, a modern day take on the N360 of the 1960's, was one of my favorite cars of the show. I love the tiny proportions and simple design, giving it a very distinct character. Would be cool to see this makes it into production.
"Eco" was the main theme at the Makuhari Messe this year with tons of hybrid vehicles on show from Honda, like the Skydeck minivan above.
Nissan on the other hand has taken advantage of its leading position in the development of electric vehicles, something Carlos Ghosn obviously feels very passionate about.
He arrived on stage driving the cool Land Glider EV, a two-seater vehicle that leans through corners like a bike. It joined the Nissan Leaf on stage, the first mass-produced EV car, on sale from next year.
Joining the Land Glider concept was the Nissan Qazana mini-SUV that was previously shown at the Geneva motor show earlier in the year.
Away from all the concepts the new Nissan 370Z Roadster was getting a lot of attention. Designing the Z34 as a convertible from the get go, unlike the previous Z33, has allowed the designers to really fine tune the lines of the rear end making it very pleasant to look at.
This Fuga Hybrid, on sale from next year, is the first hybrid car Nissan has made, showing that EV is probably not for everybody quite yet.
The badge on the back says it all.
Yet more hybrids and EVs from Mitsubishi with the plug-in PX-MiEV, a preview for the next generation Outlander. Now that development of the Evolution X has ceased I guess this, along with the i, is what MMC are concentrating on.
Subaru has taken a more unique route in this "hybrid race" by combining a 2L turbocharged direct-injection boxer engine and of course its symmetrical AWD with an electrically boosted powertrain. The result is the Hybrid Tourer.
The Mazda Kiyora, first shown at the Paris show, achieves excellent fuel consumption and low CO2 emissions by the use of a more efficient engine and gearbox coupled with a lightweight carbon fiber body. A possible successor to the Mazda2/Demio?
Spotted this interesting looking Suzusho Supasse-V sports car, still not finished but promising to be quite the drivers car with 270 HP on tap from its mid-mounted engine and a curb weight of just 870 kg!
More to come from the Tokyo Motor Show in the next few days. I'm back at Makuhari Messe tomorrow to finish up my coverage but I leave you with a picture of the weird "electric commuter concept" from Yamaha, the EC-fs, a futuristic electric motorcycle that is so easy to ride even your grandmother could jump on it and go for a ride!
-Dino Dalle Carbonare