Crowds throng the Tokyo Motor Show. OPEN THE DOOR: Viewing the Future at the Tokyo Motor Show November 22, 2001 The 35th Tokyo Motor Show, one of the three biggest motor shows in the world, was held from October 26 to November 7, 2001. A total of 273 automobile and auto-parts makers from 13 countries around the world participated. The first motor show of the twenty-first century was attended by 1.28 million people, roughly the same number as last year. Visitors could see 709 types of vehicles, from models that will soon go on sale to more efficient ecocars and vehicles loaded with information technology. The theme for this first year of the new millenium was, rather appropriately, "Open the Door!" Visitors were able to see a number of cars made by domestic and foreign manufacturers that answered this challenge. Drive By Wire? Every automaker displayed concept cars that revealed their visions of the future. While not all of these cars will make it to market, they demonstrated new possibilities for the automobile and were a hit with those in attendance. The Pod, a car jointly developed by Toyota and Sony. One of the more unusual concept cars was a collaborative effort between automaker Toyota Motor Corp. and electronics manufacturer Sony Corp. called Pod. What caught people's attention were the "eyelids" that have been placed over the car's headlights. The car is capable of displaying a range of emotions with its "eyes" depending on the circumstances. For example, the car demonstrates "happiness" when the owner approaches and expresses "anger" if another car suddenly darts into an intersection; it could almost be called an automotive version of AIBO, Sony's pet robot. This new car also boasts another interesting feature: All of the controls, such as steering, accelerating, and braking, are consolidated in a device called a "drive controller" that allows the user to drive the vehicle entirely with one hand. Another unusual car was Nissan Motor Co.'s Ideo. With its 14 cameras and information processsing capabilities, this car can present to the driver an image of the vehicle from above. The driver can accurately see the distance between the vehicle and surrounding cars, a feature that should make it easier to park in areas with limited space. Hybrid-Engine Sports Cars Car makers from around the world are working hard to develop environment-friendly cars, and at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show there were a number of fuel-cell cars and hybrid cars, which run on a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. In an effort to catch up to Toyota, a pioneer in the development of hybrid cars, Honda Motor Co. introduced a model called Dualnote. Up to now, sports cars have been slow to adopt eco-friendly technology, but the Dualnote is a sports car that makes use of an onboard hybrid engine. An electric motor drives the front wheels, and when more speed is needed, a gasoline engine powers the back wheels.   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend Compact cars, popular the world over for their fuel economy, were also displayed by a number of automakers. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. introduced its 1.3 liter CZ2. The principle behind the CZ2 is "delight the passengers," and it was with this in mind that the car was fitted with a number of devices that can be operated separately by the different occupants. For example, the amount of light that passes through the vehicle's transparent roof can be adjusted in four different places. This concept car was developed jointly by Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler and is seen as contributing to the development of the global Z-car slated to hit the market at the end of 2002. Unusual Offerings by Newcomers This year unorthodox automaker Mitsuoka Motor Co. made its first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show, attracting attention for its unusual cars, which included a reptillian-looking supercar, an old-style convertible, and an electric microcar. Tomy Co., another newcomer to the motor show, became the first toymaker to hold an exhibition there, displaying and offering for sale commemorative die-cast replicas. Old Models Make a Comeback Mazda Motor Corp., the world's only maker of cars with rotary engines, presented the RX-8, a new type of sports car, which is scheduled to go on sale in 2003. The RX-7, first released in 1978, has a number of devotees overseas that appreciate the feeling of speed provided by a rotary engine that is lacking in a typical reciprocating engine. The RX-8 boasts substantial improvements over the RX-7. Meanwhile, Nissan is set to revive its famous Fairlady Z, a sportscar that has not been sold in North America since 1996; production in Japan ceased in 2000. The concept cars unveiled at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show incorporate cutting-edge technology into the design. Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.