The Show Goes On

In this country where the well-disciplined and well-mannered people have braved and survived the recent earthquakes, expect big and colourful signboards at the top of buildings and shopping malls, sidewalk ramen stalls bursting with people in their working suits, electric scooters, rows of bicycles lined up on sidewalks everywhere and cool kids with their funky dressing that may be deemed as an ah beng back in Singapore. It is very different from the new-world aura of impatient, inconsiderate and intolerable behaviour where Singaporeans have come to be known as Kiasu and Kiasee.

But such characteristics do have their pros as well, especially when it comes to an internationally recognised event such as the Tokyo Motor Show (TMS) where almost every journalists and photographer were cocooned in their “little world” of completing a certain task due to the crowd.

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.

Having only 174 brands showcasing over 400 vehicles this year, it is little wonder that big brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and brands under General Motors (GM) were missing in action. No big lost though, as the motor show was no less a stadium-size epic. The dominating German brands such as Audi, Volkswagen and BMW dominated the show with an array of models - ranging from the BMW M5 and Audi A1 Sportback to the Volkswagen Bulli and Cross Coupe, a plug-in hybrid that is between the size of the Golf and Tiguan.

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.

Suzuki had its fair share of electric vehicles on display too. Extending on the its current range is the Swift EV Hybrid, an eco car that can cover up to 30km on battery power alone and extend its range using an engine-driven generator.

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.

Needless to say, most of the eyes were on the performance cars. The rear-wheel-drive 2.0-litre ‘86’ sports car, also known as the GT 86, drew the crowd in immediately after TMC President Akio Toyoda ended his speech, with lights flashing all over the car and words of admiration filling up the entire hall. Created from scratch, the GT 86 boasts a brand new chassis as well as platform, with the world’s first horizontally opposed D-4S engine, making it a one-of-a-kind car at the show. Its twin sibling, the Subaru BRZ, was also officially launched.