TOYOTA Motor Corp. (TMC) engineered a veritable showstopper when it broke the cover on eight concept plus 13 assorted vehicles during the first media day of the 40th Tokyo Motor Show on October 24 at the Makuhari Messe in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture.

Under its theme “Harmonious Drive—a New Tomorrow for People and the Planet,” TMC preserved its tradition of highlighting new automotive possibilities at every Tokyo Motor Show, including this year’s edition, in the form of a wide variety of concept vehicles and groundbreaking technologies. TMC’s exhibit was meant to provide new proposals for the automobile with an emphasis on vehicles that completely redefine what it means to be environmentally considerate and rewrites the rules of auto design with a proposal for ultra-efficient vehicle packaging.

TMC’s exhibit focused its pursuit of the essential emotional appeal of cars—being fun to drive and a pleasure to use—with the end in view of indicating its approach toward making sustainable mobility a reality so that people can coexist in harmony with the environment.

The concept vehicles that are on display are the 1/X—a redefinition of the term “environmentally considerate”; RiN—a new focus on promoting the idea of “well-being”; i-REAL—a new personal mobility vehicle; the iQ Concept—a vehicle with ultra-efficient packaging like no other; the Hi-CT, or “high ride city truck”—an edgy, urban vehicle; the FT-MV, or “future Toyota minivan”—a first-class, new-generation minivan; the Crown Hybrid Concept—a hybrid luxury sedan; and the FT-HS or “future Toyota hybrid sports”—a next-generation hybrid.

Sharing exhibit space with the concept vehicles are the TF107 Formula One World Championship contender, the Prius ist, Noah, Blade, Vitz, Voxy, Corolla Rumion, Mark X ZiO, Land Cruiser, Porte Welcab, Estima Hybrid and Vanguard.

TOYOTA Motor Corp. (TMC) engineered a veritable showstopper when it broke the cover on eight concept plus 13 assorted vehicles during the first media day of the 40th Tokyo Motor Show on October 24 at the Makuhari Messe in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture.

HONDA Motor Co. Ltd. surprised the crowd at the opening of the 40th Tokyo Motor Show (TMS) on October 24 at the Makuhara Messe in Chiba, Japan, when it showcased concept automobiles and a number of new technologies. This is aside from the new production cars and updates of its other variants.

‘Casino Royale,’ Hyundai-style

THERE were poker, baccarat and lucky nine tables, slot machines, food, free-flowing drinks and showgirls—all the trimmings, glitz and glamor of a world-class casino.  No, it wasn’t Las Vegas or Monaco. 

Avanza 1.3J M/T: Advancing the Avanza cause

I’VE recently driven the Avanza 1.3J stick shift and it has been purely fun.  For one thing, it’s been quite a while since I had last driven a non-“matic;” the manual era is becoming extinct—if you still don’t know it. 

Porsche Cayenne V6: Hotter, better, spicier

WHEN the Porsche Cayenne was first unveiled, people weren’t really sure if the concept would work. After all, even Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson admitted the VW and Porsche-developed vehicle defeats the purpose of building an SUV with the soul of a sports car, much as “nonalcohol lager defeats the objective or Land Rover building a rear-engined sports car.”

Eyes on the Road: Having max power on your trek

Petron’s ongoing awareness campaign for clean air through the use of cleaner fuel is very laudable.

DuPont unveils eco-friendly paints

A REVOLUTIONARY, environment-friendly car-paint system developed by a world leader in science-based products and services is now being introduced in the country.

Full Tank: Slex slaps

ALMOST three years ago, on December 28, 2004, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) had called for tenders for the extension project of the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) to Star Tollway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  The original quoted price for the project was P7 billion.