TOKYO (DPA) — Ecology was highlighted at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show, which opened to the media last Wednesday.
About 240 automakers from 13 nations presented their state-of-the-art models, most of which were powered by hybrid, fuel-cell and electrical systems as carmakers opt for more environmental-friendly models amid surging oil prices. They also presented components and auto parts.
The show at Japan’s largest convention hall in Chiba Prefecture opened for the media ahead of the two-week run for the general public from Oct. 21 to Nov. 6.
Seventy-nine cars and motorcycles out of about 600 will be presented to the public for the first time starting Friday while 120 more have come to Japan for the first time, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
The organizing association said the show was sure to have a large impact on the automobile industry because automakers are competing in the shift from gasoline-run engines to hybrid, fuel-cell or electricity-powered systems.
Mazda Motor Corp. touted its new sports vehicle, which runs on a hybrid electric-petrol system. Mazda is also showing a gasoline-hydrogen-run sports car.
"It’s now carmakers’ social responsibility to protect the environment," Mazda president Hisakazu Imaki said in his presentation.
An affiliate of Ford Motor Co., Mazda plans to market a hybrid version of the Tribute sport utility vehicle next spring and enhance its cooperation with Ford in hybrid systems development.
Honda Motor Co.’s premium fuel-cell sedan on show uses a hydrogen-oxygen fuel. The system only sends water out as its exhaust, a better solution for the environment and less polluting than the hybrid.
As the world’s second largest automaker in sales, Toyota Motor Corp. also unveiled its latest fuel-cell model.
Nissan Motor Co. presented its bubble-shaped electric vehicle, the Pivo, whose passenger compartment rotates 360 degrees, while Ford offered a compact sport utility vehicle.
In the midst of financial difficulties, US automakers might benefit from the Tokyo Motor Show and regain their clientele with their takes on more ecologically beneficial and fuel-efficient technologies, Kyodo News Service quoted analysts as saying.
