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TOKYO – This year’s Tokyo Motor Show, set to run Dec. 3-11, returns to its namesake city for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.
Having spent the past 24 years at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, the 42nd show, dating back to 1954 when the Japanese auto industry was still in its infancy, will be held on the Tokyo waterfront at the Big Sight exhibition center.
All the major Japanese car and truck makers will be present, along with such European makes as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Peugeot and Volvo Truck. Scores of cars will be on display, ranging from luxury sedans and stylish coupes to all-electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles.
Yet, the show will be smaller than in the past, in part because of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Nevertheless, it will showcase the latest in Japanese automotive technology.
For instance, the show’s organizers will hold a special event to illustrate future infrastructure systems designed specifically to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions – such as smart grids. The exhibit, named Smart Mobility City 2011, will bring together some 50 companies from the electronics, telecommunications and automotive industries.
Among the models to be displayed by seven of Japan’s eight auto makers (Toyota and Lexus are embargoing news) are three Nissan EV concepts, two of which have been shown at other auto shows.
The Pivo3, successor to the Pivo2 that was a big hit at the 2007 Tokyo show, will offer a new automatic-valet-parking feature in specially equipped lots that can be activated by smartphone.
Measuring slightly less than 10 ft. (3 m) long, the car can make a U-turn on roads only 13 ft. (4 m) wide. Like its predecessor, the tiny 3-seater has wheels that turn up to 90 degrees, thanks to in-wheel motors, helping make parking easier.
