Clean and quirky cars to dominate Motor Show
By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent
TOKYO (Reuters) – Motorists are seeing more hybrids and
even some zero-emission fuel-cell vehicles on the road, making
it tougher for auto makers to put the “wow” in their green
products.
But it’s certainly not stopping them from trying.
At the Tokyo Motor Show this year, many car makers will
twin futuristic technologies like advanced fuel cells and
drive-by-wire with head-turning designs and quirky concepts to
upstage rivals at one of the world’s five biggest auto shows,
opening from October 22 to November 6.
Among the three concept cars from Toyota Motor Corp.,
Japan’s top car maker and a leader in clean-vehicle technology,
is the gull-winged Fine-X, a new fuel-cell car that has
four independently steered wheels which enable it to rotate on
the spot.
With no noted output or driving range improvement over its
existing fuel-cell vehicle, Toyota is playing up the car for
other eco-friendly features such as a body and interior that
use biodegradable fibers and plastics.
The maker of the popular Prius hybrid car will also show
off a one-seater “mobility machine” called the i-swing, which
runs on three wheels at high speeds and upright on two wheels
in slow mode. The vehicle is an evolved version of the PM,
which stole the limelight at the Tokyo Motor Show two years
ago.
This time, that privilege will probably go to archrival
Nissan Motor Co.’s Pivo concept. The egg-shaped cabin-on-wheels
uses drive-by-wire technology to allow the cabin to spin
around and “back out” of a parking space facing forward.
Drive-by-wire eliminates the mechanical linkages between
cabin and chassis to enable steering, braking and shifting
through electronic signals.
The system is not new to the industry, however, having been
put prominently on the map by General Motors Corp.’s (GM)
sleek Hy-wire concept car at the Paris Motor Show in 2002.
“With the Pivo concept, we want to demonstrate the myriad
possibilities that drive-by-wire could achieve,” Pivo’s chief
designer, Masato Inoue, said at a preview of the car last
month.
FUEL-CELL WARS
Over at Honda Motor Co.’s stand, Japan’s third-biggest auto
maker will show off the FCX concept, which proposes the
future
styling of a fuel-cell car once the industry manages to
develop smaller fuel-cell stacks and store more hydrogen in
smaller tanks.
With the compact mock fuel-cell stack tucked between the
driver and passenger seats, and two small hydrogen tanks
between the rear wheels, the FCX has an ultra-low floor and
more cabin space than fuel-cell cars now being tested on the
road.
“This is what we’d like fuel-cell cars to look like,” Honda
Executive Chief Engineer Yozo Kami said.
Among non-Japanese brands, DaimlerChrysler AG will show the
F600 Hygenius fuel-cell car for the first time in Japan.
The compact model has a driving range of over 400 km (248.5
miles) — 100 km short of being considered practical.
“This represents a major step toward bringing the fuel-cell
drive up to full production maturity,” DaimlerChrysler
Research and Technology Chief Thomas Weber said in a statement.
The German-U.S. company is aiming to mass-produce zero-emission
fuel-cell vehicles some time between 2012 and 2015.
Most auto makers consider that timeline ambitious, however.
One fuel-cell car is said to cost at least $1 million to
build, not to mention the work needed on infrastructure and
legislation to set up hydrogen fuelling stations on public
roads.
With those roadblocks in mind, Mazda Motor Corp. has an
interim solution: the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, a
close-to-ready minivan concept that can run on gasoline,
hydrogen or an electric motor. Mazda says it aims to market the
dual-fuel vehicle “in the near future.”
Also making its world debut at the Mazda stand is the
hydrogen RX-8 rotary engine sports car, which the Japanese auto
maker plans to begin leasing soon, and the production model
Tribute hybrid SUV due for launch shortly.
All told, 38 makers will have 45 world premiere passenger
cars on display at the show, including 11 from foreign brands
such as Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen and Hyundai.
Conspicuously absent from that list of world debuts is
Detroit-based General Motors, whose top brass will also be
staying home to deal with growing troubles after former
parts-making unit Delphi Corp. filed for bankruptcy last
weekend.
Following are some of the other highlights at the show:
– Suzuki Motor Corp.’s Ionis by-wire minicar concept also
uses fuel-cell technology, borrowed from 20 percent owner GM.
Its light-blue tinted windows and curvy exterior are designed
to resemble water — the only by-product of a fuel-cell
vehicle.
– Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.’s B5-TPH concept
car is a design study in next-generation crossovers. The hybrid
powertrain uses a lithium ion battery co-developed with
electronics maker NEC Corp. that can last 15 years.
– With the snub-nosed W.O.W., Honda hopes to test demand
from serious dog lovers for pet-friendly vehicles. Built to
enable a safe and comfortable ride for canines of all sizes —
in the glove compartment, for instance — the W.O.W. also
features a wood-paneled floor for easy cleaning.
– Nissan aims to appeal to young car buyers with its
“wearable car” concept — the Note compact car “inspired by
Adidas.” The front and rear bumpers, as well as seat covers and
dashboard can be “dressed” in various design schemes.
– For a visual treat, Mazda has the sleek Senku concept, a
four-seater rotary-engine sports car “for the near future” with
a big, wing-shaped door that slides backwards.
– Chrysler’s Akino subcompact is named after its
Japanese-born designer, Akino Tsuchiya, and features a living
room interior with bamboo flooring, sconce lighting, sofa-like
rear seats and a front passenger seat that swivels around.
– Sports car fans will be treated to a close-to-final
version of Nissan’s long-awaited GT-R, due for launch in 2007.
Rival Mitsubishi Motors Corp., meanwhile, will exhibit the
Concept-X, whose design hints at the next incarnation of its
iconic Lancer Evolution sports car.