The Show Goes On
05 Dec 2011Viewed : 6,173 times


However, things were different back in 2009, where there were reports of the TMS being largely ignored by the foreign media. There were even speculations on whether the 42nd 2011 TMS would take place. Still, in the wake of earthquakes and tsunamis that struck the country in March, the biennially event continues to thrive on.
There seems to be a tangible buzz of anticipation in the air at the TMS 2011 at the Tokyo Big Sight - Tokyo International Exhibition Centre. Attendees (mainly from the press) ranged from your typical journalists and photographers with notebooks and bulky cameras to the unexpected, like the elderly Japanese lady whom I spotted several times walking around the different halls, sporting a walking stick, thick bubble vest and a serene look on her face. She was neither rushing nor busy snapping pictures, even when Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) President, Akio Toyoda, made his opening address on the first day of the show, garnering the attention of almost everyone in the West hall.

While the energy of the TMS bordered on Germanic abrasive, it was hard not to take note of the Japanese carmakers, presenting cars that leaned towards this year’s theme of green mobility. Honda presented its future cars like the EV-STER, the electric rear-wheel-drive two-seater convertible sports car, and the Honda Fit EV which will be available in the US as well as Japan in 2012.

Toyota premiered its Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV), a clean and green vehicle that combines the characteristics of both pure electric and hybrid vehicles. Equipped with its new lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a household outlet, the Prius PHV can be operated as an electric car over short trips and drive as a hybrid over longer trips. Toyota also showcased its Fuel-Cell Vehicle (FCV) that is on track to be launched by 2015. According to TMC, the improved fuel cell stack will be able to allow the car to travel up to more than 700km at a time.



However, things were different back in 2009, where there were reports of the TMS being largely ignored by the foreign media. There were even speculations on whether the 42nd 2011 TMS would take place. Still, in the wake of earthquakes and tsunamis that struck the country in March, the biennially event continues to thrive on.
There seems to be a tangible buzz of anticipation in the air at the TMS 2011 at the Tokyo Big Sight - Tokyo International Exhibition Centre. Attendees (mainly from the press) ranged from your typical journalists and photographers with notebooks and bulky cameras to the unexpected, like the elderly Japanese lady whom I spotted several times walking around the different halls, sporting a walking stick, thick bubble vest and a serene look on her face. She was neither rushing nor busy snapping pictures, even when Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) President, Akio Toyoda, made his opening address on the first day of the show, garnering the attention of almost everyone in the West hall.

While the energy of the TMS bordered on Germanic abrasive, it was hard not to take note of the Japanese carmakers, presenting cars that leaned towards this year’s theme of green mobility. Honda presented its future cars like the EV-STER, the electric rear-wheel-drive two-seater convertible sports car, and the Honda Fit EV which will be available in the US as well as Japan in 2012.

Toyota premiered its Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV), a clean and green vehicle that combines the characteristics of both pure electric and hybrid vehicles. Equipped with its new lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a household outlet, the Prius PHV can be operated as an electric car over short trips and drive as a hybrid over longer trips. Toyota also showcased its Fuel-Cell Vehicle (FCV) that is on track to be launched by 2015. According to TMC, the improved fuel cell stack will be able to allow the car to travel up to more than 700km at a time.

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