A Quick Look at the Tokyo Auto Show

The Tokyo Auto Show came and went without much attention or fanfare in the U.S. This can be blamed on the fact that no major overseas brands attended the show, due to the economy. It was petrol-powered sports cars and a few ultra-efficient conventional engines – not hybrid or electric engines – that made the show notable.

With several manufacturers declaring they will begin to build electric supercars (Mercedes-Benz and Audi), others stated that they will hold off on hybrid and electric cars until those cars are more mainstream. Mazda, Toyota and Subaru are in agreement that electric cars are not the best way to reduce global warming with automobiles. The president of Mazda, Takashi Yamanouchi, says Mazda will be able to reduce its vehicle emissions over the next five years with no hybrid or electric vehicles.

With hybrid vehicles making up just two percent of the world’s automotive sales, the other 98 percent are what Mazda will focus on. Looking to make a more immediate impact on global warming, Mazda will develop petrol and diesel engines to help fuel savings on all vehicles in its lineup. Mazda does have the electric technology to keep up with the market as it changes to include more demand for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Though electric cars are good for the environment as far as gas and emissions are concerned, the materials used to make the batteries are not renewable sources. The batteries are also large and not much can be done with them once they no longer work. Nissan is now looking into business models and plans to re-use, re-sell and recycle the batteries from electric vehicles. Carlos Ghosn, the head guy of the Renault-Nissan alliance has said batteries from vehicles would still retain “70 to 80 percent” of their effectiveness and could be used for other applications as back-up power sources. With the large size and short life of the current batteries in electric cars, the idea of an electric sports car isn’t viable, according to some vehicle manufacturers.

Toyota announced that it will be leasing about 500 plug-in hybrid Priuses (pictured above left) in a few months to Japan, Europe and the United States to gauge feedback and information form everyday drivers of the cars. These vehicles can be plugged in to regular home outlets.

Toyota also introduced its new sports car, the FT-86 (pictured above right). The car uses a conventional petrol engine for power and the body and other parts are made of lightweight materials.

The Tokyo Auto Show, which is normally a large automotive show for several countries, was short on attendance from several automakers, but had the ‘regulars’ on display. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru were the major brands on display.