Japan gets its mojo back

Tokyo, Japan—The Japanese car industry may have been in the doldrums the past few years, but this year’s Tokyo Motor Show—the 43rd staging of this major biennial international event—is solid testament that Japan is back.

The atmosphere at the sprawling Tokyo Big Sight convention center—the same venue as the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show—is electric. Perhaps it’s the city’s pride in being recently chosen to be the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Perhaps it’s the sheer number of gleaming cars on display—76 of which make their world debuts—that dwarf the number at the 2011 show. A total of 180 brands representing 177 companies from 12 countries combine to put together a spectacle with the theme “Compete! And shape a new future.”

The 43rd Tokyo Motor Show (TMS) marks no less than a renaissance in the Japanese car industry—not just with their domestic market, but from a global perspective as well.

“This motor show features technical innovations developed by Japanese auto and motorcycle makers whose development centers are mostly located in the country,” said Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) Chairman Akio Toyoda (who is also president of Toyota Motor Corp.), at a news conference held earlier this  month. 

“This is what makes the Tokyo Motor Show unique and valuable among other motor shows in the world,” Toyoda added.

Mitsubishi pushes state-of-the-SUV-art

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) unveiled three world premiere concept cars at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show. Incorporating a new design that symbolizes the functionality and reassuring safety inherent to SUVs, the three concepts take as their theme MMC’s @earth TECHNOLOGY and point to the direction Mitsubishi’s development and manufacturing will take in the near future.

The Mitsubishi Concept GC–PHEV

(above, presented by MMC president Osamu Masuko) is a next-generation full-size SUV with full-time 4WD. It is based on a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) system comprising a 3.0-liter V6 supercharged MIVEC engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with a high-output motor and a high-capacity battery to deliver all-terrain performance truly worthy of an all-round SUV.

The Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV

(left and right) is a next-generation compact SUV developed to take driving pleasure to new levels. The Concept XR-PHEV uses a front-engine, front-wheel drive layout PHEV system that is configured with a downsized 1.1-liter direct-injection turbocharged MIVEC engine and a lightweight, compact and high-efficiency motor with a high-capacity battery. These two concepts feature PHEV systems optimally tailored to different market and segment requirements.

The Mitsubishi Concept AR

(left) is a next-generation compact MPV which combines SUV maneuverability with MPV roominess. It uses a lightweight mild hybrid system which comprises a downsized 1.1-liter direct-injection turbocharged MIVEC engine.

All three concepts feature Mitsubishi’s latest “e-Assist” active safety technologies and the advanced “connected car” technology that utilizes next-generation information systems. These functions include a danger-detection system which activates the corresponding safety functions and a failure/malfunction early-detection system which urges the driver to seek repairs or other maintenance.

Including the three concept models, Mitsubishi showcased a total of 17 models at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show 2013. Joining the concepts were the new eK Space “super-height wagon” “kei car-sized” minicar due for launch in Japan at the beginning of next year, motorsport vehicles (including an Outlander PHEV that competed as a rally car), and some current production models that featured the new Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid SUV.

Honda icon makes a comeback

Call it a hat trick of Japanese supercars—all with three letters in their model names. First it was the GT-R, Nissan’s four-wheeled monster version of Japan’s revered and feared Godzilla. Then came the LFA, Lexus’ all-conquering supercar. This year, it’s Honda’s turn to take the spotlight.

It’s called the NSX, and it marks a triumphant return of what is arguably Japan’s first two-seat supercar, which ruled highways and byways from the 1990 all the way to the mid-90s. The biggest change is that the new NSX—still called the NSC Concept at the 2013 TMS—is a hybrid. It uses Honda’s SPORT HYBRID SH-AWD system, with a motor to assist the engine and two other separate motors to assist the driving wheels. It’s slated to debut in production form in 2015, the same year Honda makes its much anticipated return to Formula One (as engine supplier to McLaren).

Here are the other Hondas that made a splash at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show.

Beauty and brains at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show

They all look great—sleek and shiny under the spotlights of Tokyo Big Sight. But it’s not just pomp and pageantry that’s making these cars shine. They’ve got the smarts—and they’ve got the performance. Either they’re amazingly fast—or they’re exceptionally clean. In some overachieving cases, it’s both. Here are just some of the stars of the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show.