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IT is a
lifestyle one needs to experience to fully appreciate.
The tour
given the journalist delegates of Honda Cars Philippines
Inc. (HCPI) to the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, a major event
in the automotive industry, which is covered by almost
every media outfit worldwide and wherein major
announcements, developments, breakthroughs and concepts
are revealed by the manufacturers that usually affect
the automotive trend for the next few years, was
probably one of the best Japanese (and Honda)
experiences just yet. We were exposed to the full range
of what it really means to become an owner of the Honda
brand.
Flying
out on October 22 to Tokyo via Japan Airlines, I found
myself in the wonderful company of Anjo Perez of the
Manila Bulletin, Ardie Lopez of Auto Extreme, Arnold
Belleza of BusinessWorld, Dinzo Tabamo of Top Gear
Magazine, Jenny Bleza of Motoring Today, Lester Dizon of
Philippine Star, Mon Tomeldan of Manila Standard Today
and Tessa Salazar of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and
ably assisted by Honda executive Tintin Reyes.
Before
all else, let me tell you about where HCPI took us
first. We landed in Tokyo a little after lunch and were
met by our kind tour guide Kimiko-san, who quickly
whisked us away to Hakone, a part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu
National Park, about 100 kilometers from Tokyo. There, we were housed at the Tensein Hotel, a
ryokan, or authentic Japanese-style inn.
Our
rooms were truly Japanese in design, complete with the
tatami mats and futons for sleeping. Dinner was at 7 pm
sharp (truly Japanese) and we had to dress up in yukata,
cotton kimonos used at home or when relaxing. Tabamo
looked really so “original” that one would have thought
he was a Buddhist monk. The yukata fit him so well.
(They said underwear is not necessary, but why take the
chance!) We dined in a traditional Japanese visitor’s
dining room, eating authentic Japanese food (except for
Tessa, who only eats vegetables). We were invited to use
the hot springs, but when we all found out it was a
public bath where we all had to be naked, we just
decided to go to sleep. And a fine night’s sleep it was
after a hot tub in the room.
Next
day, we all went to
Lake Ashinoko,
which was formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone when it
last erupted 3,000 years ago. The lake, with
Mount Fuji in the background, is the typical postcard picture from
Japan.
We climbed Moto-Hakone by cable car and got a
breathtaking view of Ashinoko and Mount Fuji. And then
it was time to go back to Tokyo for the next day’s real
job—covering the 40th Tokyo Motor Show. We all took the
bus to Le Meridien Grand Pacific Hotel at Odaiba, where
we had dinner and much-needed sleep for the arduous job
ahead.
The
motor show was located at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, a
sprawling establishment about six times the size of our
World
Trade Center
on Roxas Boulevard. This year a total of 35 passenger
companies have exhibits with a combined total of 542
vehicles on display. It also boasts of a total of 77
world and 103 Japanese premieres, a record in its 40
years. And, of course, we had to check everything out
and not just Honda’s display.
But
Honda’s presentation in itself was remarkable and
spectacular. Starting out with Honda’s favorite host
Asimo, they introduced drastically new models that may
change the landscape of the automobile industry.
Fuel-cell technology is the rave throughout the show and
Honda comes out as one on top of the list of major
developers.
The FCX,
a prototype that runs purely on fuel cell, is expected
to come out into major production by next year in Japan,
according to HCPI president Hiroshi Shimizu. Then there
is the CR-Z, a new model that is also a hybrid but a
sports car as well. Something many car enthusiasts have
been looking for but have found none until Honda.
A cute
one is the Puyo. A car that literally feels so
comfortable from the outside all the way to the inside.
The body is soft to the touch and the technology it
packs is truly one-of-a-kind.
But more
than these two, Honda presented the new models of the
highly acclaimed Accord, the best-selling Jazz (“Fit”
elsewhere), and the cultish Civic. These three models
have hit the market and are gaining ground in the hands
of consumers.
Two days
of car and motorbike frenzy coverage and we were ready
for another Honda adventure, the test-drives. We were
brought to the Honda Research and Development Center at
Tochigi, where we were given a briefing and then a look
at its one of two in the world crash-test laboratory.
Two Hondas were smashed to show us how they test for
safety, an Accord and a CR-V.
We got
to test the first FCX model that can beat the look of a
Ferrari anytime and a CR-V that has an active
braking-assist system that prepares the car for a
possible collision so as to actually avoid it. These
concept cars were fast, I must say.
Then off
we went to the winding course and the speed circuit,
where we got to test the Type R. It was an amazing
drive. The Type R really showed its worth running
handily at proper speeds under the rain. And the 2008
Accord with its Variable Cylinder Management system runs
really fast and yet becomes very economical at cruising
speed. As I have earlier said in my review, the 3.5 V6
engine of the Accord will shift to three cylinders
during cruising speed and go up to four when some power
is needed—a novel fuel-saving system, if I may say so.
And the
fun ended there. But it had to, you see. If not, we may
have never been able to get back home with all the
innovations, designs and inventions that Honda’s R&D is
working on. Just test-driving the new cars already took
us a whole day. Imagine if we had to go check out the
whole Honda estate, wherein the power of dreams comes
alive. |
