| Are you looking for green, mean and wacky cars? | | | | the image of sports cars as gas guzzlers with |
| Well, do not look too far. They could be in the Asia | | | | concept hybrids running on a mix of gasoline and |
| Pacific - in Japan in particular. At the 40th Tokyo | | | | electricity. Honda flaunted the Puyo with a "gel body" |
| Motor Show, expect to see idiosyncratic and stunning | | | | to improve safety and "the feel of an adorable pet." |
| cars. | | | | "Nobody's ignoring or bypassing any particular |
| This year's motor show is aimed at showcasing | | | | technology," said Ghosn. But it is not all about saving |
| thrilling cars designed to captivate the hearts of the | | | | the planet: Nissan took the wraps off its hotly |
| next-generation drivers. Amid declining sales in their | | | | anticipated GT-R supercar, hoping that there is still a |
| home market, Japanese automakers have strived to | | | | market for high-performance muscle machines |
| unravel the best concepts that they could offer. | | | | despite the buzz around hybrids. |
| From bubble-shaped fantasy vehicles to sleek | | | | And from the Mazda Motor Corp. came Taiki, a |
| petrol-guzzling sports cars, lightweight hybrids and | | | | concept sports car with a captivating styling and |
| cars designed to feel like riding a rollercoaster, | | | | wind-swept design. |
| automakers touted their own unique visions of the | | | | "Generally my observations of most sporty cars are: |
| future, reported the AFP. Rivals flaunted their green | | | | they look great and sales start out great but they |
| credentials with an array of environmentally friendly | | | | decay very rapidly," said Christopher Richter, auto |
| vehicles crammed into a convention centre near the | | | | analyst at investment bank CLSA. "You can imagine |
| capital, as record high oil prices prompt | | | | why makers put sporty cars into their line-ups rather |
| unprecedented interest in fuel-efficient motoring. | | | | sparingly." |
| The auto industry is entering an "era of | | | | Among the more wacky designs on the motor show |
| unprecedented change," said Nissan chief executive | | | | was Suzuki's Sharing Coach which looks more like a |
| Carlos Ghosn, adding that his company hopes to start | | | | small spacecraft than a car, with two smaller |
| mass marketing of electric cars by 2012. "The age of | | | | one-person PIXY pods on wheels that fit snugly |
| sustainable mobility is closer than anyone realizes." | | | | inside. |
| The Toyota Motor Corp. is among automakers trying | | | | "The Japanese market is still ranked third in the world. |
| to lighten the load so as to reduce fuel consumption, | | | | But the situation is not good for Japanese |
| unveiling the 1/X (pronounced one-Xth) plug-in hybrid. | | | | automakers," said Hirofumi Yokoi, an analyst at auto |
| The concept car is said to be two-thirds lighter than | | | | consultants CSM Worldwide. "Young Japanese have a |
| the Prius and twice as fuel efficient thanks to the | | | | different lifestyle. They are not interested in |
| use of carbon fiber materials. | | | | purchasing big-ticket items like cars." |
| "We have gone back to the basics and reconsidered | | | | Apparently, it is high time to step on EBC Active |
| everything," said Toyota president Katsuaki | | | | Brakes Direct and try more environment-friendly auto |
| Watanabe, who trundled onto the stage on the | | | | technologies. "The future is not just about hybrids," |
| i-REAL, which resembles a high-tech armchair on | | | | concluded Richter. "When I talk to automakers I |
| wheels. | | | | sense a lot of uncertainty about what is going to be |
| Both Toyota and Honda Motor Co. strived to alleviate | | | | the dominant technology going forward. |