TOKYO,  Japan—To get to the exhibition hall through a chartered bus from the nation’s capital would take you about an hour, depending on traffic.  But if you use the train, better.  And faster, of course. The nation’s railway system here is easily Asia’s most modern and can compare with the world’s best.

Makuhari Messe is a charming suburb situated between populous Tokyo and Narita Airport.  It is near the world-famed Odaiba, the island bastion of Japanese defense forces where cannons and high-powered arsenal had been secretly built to repulse a perceived American attack in the last World War.  Turned out history had been reversed:  It was Japan that architected a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, igniting WW II. 

Who lost in that bloody war, nobody but Mr. Peace.

Okay, you want more history?

At Odaiba now stands the world-famed Rainbow Bridge that offers a spectacular view of Tokyo at night:  An explosion of lights on skyscrapers towering brightly in the starlit skies so that you seem like surrounded by thousands of diamonds of all shapes and sizes!  A spitting distance away is Japan’s own version of Disneyland, not to mention the magnificent Ferries wheel near it that was once the biggest and tallest in the world, and the Tokyo Tower resembling the Eiffel Tower that is bathed in gold and still remains, at 333 meters, the highest structure in all of Japan.

Together with 12 other fellow Filipino motoring journalists that included, of course, my Boss, Popong Colonel Andolong, I went to Makuhari Messe by chartered bus and I can only thank my stars.  Why, if you have Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) as your host, with TMP vice president Danny “Sir John” Isla as lead man and TMP media chief Elijah-won Marcial as your platoon sergeant, everything is simply A-OK from beginning to end.

Believe you me.  I’ve been a Toyota guest here six straight times already.  Since 1999, Toyota has played host to me and I had yet to record a first-ever hitch from Asia’s undisputed car giant insofar as marshalling the Philippine delegation was concerned—not even a minor one, I tell ya.

A decade of relationship is something you just don’t dismiss like an old rag.  It’s simply as priceless as an old 45 recording of the Beatles’ “Girl,” a vintage John Lennon on the vocals.

AND, yes, why am I here again?

Well, I guess you guessed it right.  Again.

The 41st Tokyo Motor Show is on and, as has been the practice of some of the major car companies in the Philippines, several Filipino motoring journalists receive the signal honor of getting invited to the biennial event that features mainly the latest in vehicle technology.  From tires to torques, from engines to amperes, from chassis to chain-drives, from hybrid to high-definition technologies—name it, it’s here.

Of course, aside from Toyota, also assembling a delegation of Filipino motoring writers and TV personalities were Mitsubishi and Honda.  This time, Nissan skipped the practice.  But Subaru was represented through Nicky Mariano, a top gun at Motor Image Manila. 

But two hours or so after arrival at Makuhari Messe, I wondered where Ariel de Jesus, Nicky’s ablest deputy, was.  Even Elvis Gamboa of Motoring Today was looking for him. 

“Nasaan na ba iyong anak kong iyon?” Elvis kept asking.

You see, days before the opening of the Motor Show, Ariel told me we’d have beer—make that Kirin—at the tapas bar here.  I ended up having Tito Hermoso as my beer buddy instead.  And we had a good laugh, of course, especially when a teenage Japanese girl had strayed unto our conversation.  After she was informed she could also have beer with us because she was 18 already, she giggled nonstop, almost.  When we offered her beer, she giggled all the more.  Then, in an instant, she was gone.      

“She got scared?” Tito wondered.  “Or, she might have left to fetch her boy friend and join us for beer?”

No, the girl never came back.

“So, we scared her away,” Tito concluded.

Anyway, it was that way that our first day of stay here had ended.

Before I took my first gulp of beer, straight from the can, I did my usual recap.

Umm.  Let me see now.

The Motor Show is open 13 days, ending November 4.

A total of 270 vehicles will be on display in an area of 21,259 square meters.  That big!

There will be 39 world premieres and 21 Japan premieres, 27 of them passenger cars, in this edition which is but one of the five largest international auto shows in the world—the other four being Detroit, Paris, Frankfurt and Geneva.

Japan is represented by eight companies in the passenger sector—Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki and Daihatsu.

This year marks the marriage of the enjoyment of driving and protection of the environment, thus the theme, “Fun Driving for Us, Eco Driving for Earth.”

Basically, the eight Japanese companies have come up with the latest hybrid gasoline-electricity vehicles and emissions-free electric vehicles with a user-friendly plug-in system.  À la kitchen appliance system na, di ba?

THIS year’s Motor Show was hugely affected by the global financial meltdown that struck starting in autumn last year.

Thus, organizers were still reeling from the impact of losses suffered by the major players, such as bankrupt-hit General Motors and Chrysler.

As a result, only two foreigners joined the 41st Tokyo Motor Show—Lotus of Britain and Alpina of Germany.  This is down from a staggering 26 at the previous show in 2007—the fewest ever since the start of the Tokyo Motor Show in 1954.  But still, organizers see no less than one million visitors.

A big come-on is a test-driving program with 29 cars to be provided. 

Visitors can personally experience the vehicles, including futuristic models, while driving on a three-kilometer stretch of public roads around the exhibition site—a first in the 55-year history of the Motor Show.

Taking the lead in lending their vehicles are Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru.

Not only are cars to be test-driven but motorcycles, too.  A special 600-meter outdoor course will be set up at the compound of the complex.  Some 26 vehicles will be provided by six companies, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Adiva, Harley-Davidson and Kymco.

Also a first is the free admission among junior high-school students in an effort to attract more young people as next-generation customers and their families.

TOYOTA had actually spearheaded the campaign to lure the youth by featuring kids as superstars in its opening act during the unveiling of Toyota’s latest models and concept cars on Media Day.

It was a lustily applauded show, capped by the inspiring speech by Akio Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motors Corp. (TMC).  Toyoda delved on the importance of the young sector in influencing the future of Japan’s vehicle thrust, zeroing in on the need to create vehicle awareness among their ranks.

The move to have elementary students enter the Motor Show free of charge has caused a dramatic impact on Japan’s discerning vehicle population, as there was marked attendance daily since the event opened on October 20.   

Already, there is a strong clamor among Japanese consumers for car companies to help preserve the environment and they’ve sort of taken the lead by choosing less energy-consuming and recyclable products.

The automobile market, as Toyoda had correctly pointed out in his well-applauded speech, is no exception.

As proof, Toyota’s Hybrid Prius has continued to top the list of best-selling passengers in Japan for four consecutive months ending September. 

If truth be told, it’s not all doomsday scenarios in our car world, particularly here.  In fact, hybrid cars have accounted for 8.9 percent of overall domestic new vehicle sales for the first six months of the current fiscal year from April.  This represented a sharp increase from 2.3 percent for the same period last year as per fresh Japanese car data.

THERE is no doubt this year’s Tokyo Motor Show is still reeling from the financial crash in ’08.

But by merely being there, by not abandoning their commitment to continually build cars for the betterment of humankind, organizers of the event (the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association or Jama), have done justice to every car buff in this ever-changing world.

When we got back to our hotel after which we swiftly wolfed down on our dinner, the question fired immediately at Sir John was, “Where to from here?”

Taking the cue, Elijah-won said, “On to The Cavern!”

At The Cavern, as Eric Mabuchi, the John Lennon of Japan for being almost a perfect look-alike of the Chief Beatle (he sounds almost perfectly, too, like John Lennon) did his thing on stage, Sir John could only flash that broad, fully satisfied smile.  For, you see, almost all-day long, Sir John’s secretary at Lexus Manila had been scouring Japan looking for Mabuchi-san, who has an American for a father—thus the strong John Lennon features in him.

Tito Hermoso, Ron de los Reyes, Kevin Limjoco, Elijah-won Marcial, Sir John and I could only thank our stars for a beautiful night of beer and brandy to cap what otherwise was a trek of long and winding road that was Makuhari Messe in nearby Chiba Prefecture.

And no, it was hardly a hard day’s night our intrepid gang had had that evening at The Cavern.

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Pee stop. My deepest condolences go to Hermes “Chairman” Canon of Isuzu Philippines Corp. and Anjo Perez of Manila Bulletin’s Drive/Cruising.  Hermes, while on a mission in Kuala Lumpur, lost his mother.  She died in the morning and Hermes had to rush home that evening. “We had a family dinner and had karaoke the eve of my departure for KL,” said Hermes.  “I had no inkling that’d be my last goodbye to her.”... Anjo had to cut short his trip to Japan for the 41st Tokyo Motor Show after his Dad, the much-respected Louie Perez of Manila Bulletin, passed away.  Anjo was expected to fly in last night in time for today’s burial of Louie’s remains.  Louie was a good man, extra generous and would give the last buck in his pocket if only to help anyone in need.  I know.  I had worked 12 years with him at Manila Bulletin.  You will be missed, Louie.

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Wowowee! The Lexus LFA takes the meaning of the word “supercar” to a new high.

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MAKUHARI Messe, Chiba, Japan—The world’s leading automaker, Toyota, pulled the covers off two new concept vehicles that made their world debut at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show on October 21.  The FT-EVII, a compact electric concept vehicle designed for urban driving, and the FT-86, a lightweight four-seat sports car, the first Toyota model powered by lithium-ion batteries, figuratively took a bow before the world’s motoring journalists who were gathered together for the Motor Show’s press day.

Toyota’s Lexus luxury brand also presented for the first time the LF-Ch, a five-door hybrid, and the LFA two-seater supercar.

The FT-EVII concept car is designed to accommodate four passengers in an ultra-efficient and downsized body that is smaller than the micro-compact iQ model.  The new vehicle has electric sliding doors on both sides that facilitate ingress and egress in narrow parking spaces. Instead of conventional brake and accelerator pedals, the FT-EVII features a bar beside the driver’s seat which controls all functions and results in more legroom.  The model has a low front cowl and an auxiliary window below the windshield for better forward visibility.  The vehicle, 2.73 meters long, 1.68 meters wide and 1.49 meters high, can cover a distance of about 90 km on a single charge at a maximum speed of over 100 kph.  Toyota expects to launch the EV in the US market as early as 2012.

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Blue Oval bo gged? Based on these stationary shots, the new Ford Everest looks like it’s bogged down in grass. But its 4x4 ability—particularly when it comes to its low-range setup—can get it virtually out of any off-road situation.

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WHEN one thinks of the Ford Everest nowadays, it’s of a midsize diesel SUV that’s more of an afterthought in a highly competitive segment. But in an effort to make its bestseller get much of midsize SUV sales, Ford recently launched a new iteration—along with passenger-friendly features—to make buyers veer to the Blue Oval. Is the overall kit a step up north? 

The exterior isn’t exactly all-new; to this writer it’s more of a step up to its direct predecessor’s bodyshell. The smiling front fascia and big mouth upper and lower grilles boldly stress what’s to come when you examine the SUV’s flanks and cabin. The anthracite gray rims lend a bit of sportiness to the unit, making it look like it’s rolling on 19-inchers or 20-inchers. The sportiness also heads to the faux cooling vents near the chromed side mirrors. The rearmost door spare tire cover has a bolder “mountain” silhouette, and it’s larger, too.

Inside is where the biggest changes reside. The gauge cluster now totes red gauge backlighting and needles, like that on the new Ford Ranger. The black/tan interior colorway is a tasteful approach, but the wood trim is out of place with the rest of the appointments. The audio entertainment is DVD-, Bluetooth-, MP3 CD- and external MP3 player-ready, with a head unit with a seven-inch touch screen (plus two seven-inch monitors behind the front seat headrests). The head unit also has a satnav system similar to that in the Mitsubishi Galant SE, with accurate (and updated) maps of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. One problem—when the head unit is playing music from an external MP3 player, it has an annoying tendency to skip tracks instead of playing the next song. It also has a tendency to toggle back to the currently played track should the user stop shuffling through a particular playlist.

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That loo ks familiar… The Everest’s cabin is similar to that of its Ford Ranger platform twin, right down to the gauge cluster, the steering wheel and the dashboard. The only difference is that the Everest’s dashboard doesn’t have wood trim that’s out of place with the rest of the interior.

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The Everest has oodles of torque and power—as seen in its top speed (176 kph) and 0-100 kph time (12.36 seconds). In fact, it’s all too willing to move forward from rest; there’s lots of wheel spin when launching it hard, especially at 2,000 rpm onwards. You enter the powerband at a notch below 2,000 rpm (with partial boost at a notch past 2,750 rpm) helped a lot by a five-speed a/t that’s willing to downshift at one-half to three-fourths throttle. The Everest’s high angles of departure and approach are much appreciated off road, and the power delivery (even at the four-wheel low-range gearing setup) is strong enough to get you even out of deep muddy ruts. However, the tires shod on the unit aren’t exactly meant for off-roading.

Ride comfort is similar to that of its Ranger pickup twin, displaying a bouncy ride feel enough to make third-row occupants dizzy. The rear end rebound (read up-down movement) is somewhat high—especially when going through humps. Brake grip is a bit wanting, but grabs when you need it. The ABS wakes up early, too, which is a good thing because it’s never easy trying to slow down 2,024 kg of curb weight (with drum brakes for the rear wheels). The side mirrors have limited vision, only up to one-and-a-half lanes of lateral sight on either side.

Most of the new Everest’s driving dynamics may be the same, but the interior amenities and exterior look instantly betters the “wow” factor of its bestseller—a forward improvement, given that the local market is looks-driven and kit-driven.