2003 Tokyo Motor Show
Index (10/21/2003)
Cartoon Characters

Anima Girl

2003 Los Angeles Auto Show Ford banner with type
As reporters enter
Makuhari Messe, the convention center housing the biennial Tokyo Motor Show,
they’re greeted by the ear-splitting road of 20 road racing simulators. Along
the side aisles, auto parts makers and aftermarket vendors pitch digital
gadgetry for your car, as well as auto-related games for your car. The Japanese
are electronic crazy, and that passion is often combined with their fascination
with animation. We’re not talking Disney. Japanese “anime” tends to be raw,
sexy, brutal, blending sci-fi hardware with dungeons-and-dragons settings.
Unlike American comics and cartoons, anime crosses into the Japanese mainstream,
so much so that a sizable portion of the guys and —
mostly —
young women on the auto-show stands
have been dressed in costumes right out of the latest comic books. Of course,
skimpy also sells in Japan, so “cheesecake” remains a must-have for automakers’
stands.

Siemens Tokyo 2003
Invasion of the Pod People

2003 Toyota PM conceptt
No, this Toyota concept, one of the big
draws of the show, was not created for the remake of
Invasion of the Pod People. Nor is it meant to show the
future design of the vending machines ever so popular with Japanese consumers.
The name is short for “Personal Mobility,” explained Toyota CEO Fujio Cho,
during the automaker’s hour in the auto-show spotlight. Like most automakers,
Toyota is searching for ways to win over a new generation of buyer, and this is
its cutting-edge idea of what might find a niche in tomorrow’s crowded urban
environment. Rather than driving a PM, the automaker suggests you’d “wear” the
electric vehicle, which has a variety of modes that result in the passenger pod
moving up and down. When you get to your destination, the seat gently lowers you
to the ground —
without anyone having to insert a coin.

2003 Toyota Fine-N concept
A Fine
Idea
Cho declared the Fine-N concept the “ultimate
eco-car,” and “the culmination of 100 years of vehicle development.” While others
might resist such superlatives, there’s no question the prototype will be
drawing plenty of attention as a high-line showcase for Toyota technology. Built
around a new, low-profile fuel-cell stack, the Fine-N features an extremely low, flat
floor that, because of its close-to-the-road

Toyota SU-HV1
center of gravity, minimizes concerns about SUV rollovers.
Four in-wheel motors mean all-wheel-drive control. By integrating a lithium-ion
battery and increased fuel tank pressures, Toyota claims a cruising range of
more than 300 miles.
Many industry leaders promote the idea that
hybrid-electric technology is just a stop-gap until the fuel cell is ready for
prime time. Cho disputed that concept, arguing that

Toyota CS&S
HEVs will find long-term application in the auto industry. To
underscore that point, Toyota rolled out a number of show cars integrating the
automaker’s sophisticated, second-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive. That included
the obviously named SU-HV1. The sport-ute hybrid blends electric drive with a
3.3-liter V-6 engine.
The
CS&S 2+2 mounts its Synergy
drive midship to give the roadster sports car handling. An even more advanced
version of the hybrid technology is mated to a 1.5-liter gasoline engine, and
rigged to provide all-wheel-drive. The CS&S’s rear seats can be hidden away
by a sliding canopy when not in use.

2003 Lexus LF-S concept
Lexus
Greens Up with LF-S
Even Lexus gets into the green scene with the LF-S,
short for Lexus Future Sedan. Don’t be surprised to see this make it into
production sometime soon, sources reveal. The sporty four-door features a V-8
gasoline engine mated to a high-output hybrid designed to enhance performance,
as well as mileage. The LF-S also boasts coupe-like styling, an indication of
the direction Toyota hopes to take its up-market brand. Since its debut in 1989,
Lexus has been available only in a limited number of markets, with an emphasis
on the U.S. In Japan, its products are sold through an assortment of other
Toyota divisions —
one reason
there has not been a consistent Lexus “look.” That should change, as LF-S
suggests. The marque now has its own board of directors, design studios, and
research labs, and it is about to debut in Japan.

2003 Lexus LF-X concept
When
it does, potential customers could see a version of the LF-X, the brand’s second
Tokyo show car. The Lexus Future Crossover has a more wagon-like body than the
current RX330. It’s powered by a 4.3-liter V-8 and features all-wheel
drive.
Green Machines Old News in Tokyo
Environmentally friendly technology dominated the last
two auto shows in smoggy Tokyo —
not
surprising considering the number of cars on its roadways and the time they
spend stuck in daily traffic. Green technology was still a hot topic this year,
as Toyota’s presentation demonstrated. But it didn’t dominate as it has before.
If anything, the need to make cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles has become a
simple, accepted truth among Japanese manufacturers. “It is essential we share
awareness of (such) problems,” said Yoshihide Munekumi, the chairman of Honda
Motor Co., during an industry round table. This “awareness” has resulted in some
strange bedfellows. Take Toyota, which is involved in two eco-friendly joint
ventures: one with General Motors, the other with Nissan. The latter Japanese
marque will bring its first hybrid to market by 2007 using a version of Toyota’s
latest Hybrid Synergy Drive.
Small
Cars, Big Aspirations
It’s
one of the smallest of the Japanese automakers, but Daihatsu has some big ideas,
as it demonstrated by rolling out a half-dozen concept vehicles during this
year’s Tokyo Motor Show. An affiliate of Toyota’s, Daihatsu focuses primarily on
the market for micro and minicars, finding creative ways to package in a
surprising amount of interior space.

2003 Daihatsu Qi
The Qi
(pronounced chee), is a city commuter concept vehicle that, according to company
officials, is meant to “outwit today’s problems.” Barely nine feet, nose-to-tail
this van-like vehicle is a full-fledged four-seater, though the rear bench is
best suited to kids or cargo. Qi features a low load floor and a sliding
passenger door. It’s powered by a range of engines, including a miniscule 660cc
three-cylinder gasoline engine, or a hybrid electric that gets nearly 90
mpg.

2003 Daihatsu D-bone
The
D-bone is, well, a bare-bones design with a skeletal frame that becomes part of
its design theme. With its bug-eyed headlights, motorcycle-style fenders and
four-wheel-drive system, it’s a pocket-sized ute meant for city driving or sand
dunes.

Daihatsu UFE-II
The ultra-fuel-efficient UFE-II claims to be the
highest-mileage vehicle ever. The successor to a mileage miser shown two years
ago, the windswept two-seater uses an unusual Atkins 660cc three-cylinder
gasoline engine mated to a two-motor hybrid drive. The body was wind tunnel
tested to a drag coefficient of 0.19. For the aerodynamically challenged, that
translates to slick. And it helps the research project to deliver a record 141
miles per gallon.
Subaru
Turns Up The Battery Power
Subaru has dubbed its display at the 37th Tokyo Motor
Show the Blue Cocoon, for

Subaru B9 concept
its blue lighting and deep blue background, which was used to show off
three different concept vehicles — among them the B9 Scrambler, a sleek
two-seater with a sequential hybrid power train that will get the equivalent of
48 miles per gallon with
the space used for a conventional all-wheel-drive system. One of the keys to the system
is a manganese lithium-ion battery that stores more energy longer than a nickel
metal hydride battery. The B9 also serves as a design research vehicle.
Subaru has been looking for a more modern version of the corporate grille and other
front end features, and has been testing reaction with various recent prototypes. Given
a positive reaction here in Tokyo and perhaps at the Detroit show in
January, this could become the automaker's new "face."

Subaru R1e
While known in the U.S. for
all-wheel-drive products, such as the Outback, Subaru is one of Japan’s
biggest small car manufacturers, and that's the segment it targeted with various
concepts, such as this electric vehicle, dubbed the R1e. It’
s a four-seat, two-door
commuter car that also draws its power from manganese lithium-ion battery, which
can be recharged fairly quickly, and produces zero emissions. The car is
described as environmentally friendly answer to the challenges of urban
commuting.

Subaru B2
The third concept vehicle presented by
Subaru was the R2, a four-door wagon-like vehicle that looks nearly ready for
production and for sale in Asia where one-box vehicles are gaining popularity.
The R2 features an electronically controlled throttle and a supercharged in-line
four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission for optimal fuel
economy in a package that Subaru’s designers believe is both sporty and
functional.
Subaru
also showed off a prototype for Legacy Touring Wagon that features a seat that
swivels making it easier for a passenger to get in and out of the
seat.
Coming
to a Dealer Near You
You’re
not likely to find the UFE-II at your local dealer any time soon — even if you
live in Japan. But a number of other Tokyo show cars will make the leap from
concept to production in the not-too-distant future. As you’d expect, most will
be bound for the U.S. market. The Subaru RS, for example, is expected to replace
the aging Pleo minicar, but it’s simply too small for American tastes. U.S.
buyers will see the Mazda Ibuki show up as the next-generation Miata, though the
edgy styling should be toned down a bit before then. Mitsubishi’s Spyder show
car gives a hint of what’s to come when Chrysler launches its next line of
C-class passenger cars, which are being developed largely by the Asian
automaker, a member of the DaimlerChrysler family. As their names suggest, one
will see the Lexus Future Sedan, or LF-S, and Lexus Future Crossover, or LF-X,
set the tone of models to come, while Nissan’s stylish Fuga is being touted as
the shape of things to come at the Infiniti brand. And don’t be surprised to see
Honda borrow many of the styling cues found in the curvaceous HSC sports car,
perhaps to serve as a replacement for the Acura NSX.
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