Archive for the ‘Tokyo Motor Show’ Category

Speaking of the Tokyo Motor Show, hybrid vehicles, and executive pronouncements, Nissan's head honcho, Carlos Ghosn, has made some interesting statements about Nissan's technology plans. Speaking from the exhibition floor, Ghosn said that Nissan doesn't want to be a big player in the hybrid market, having chosen instead to set its sights further down the road: "We are not intending to play a leadership role in hybrids. One company already assumed leadership in the technology. We want leadership on EVs." Sounds a little reminiscent of Honda's view on EVs versus fuel-cell vehicles -- although Ghosn gets points for standing firm instead of...

There hasn't been much groundbreaking news to emerge from the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, but the event has generated some intriguing statements from the handful of automakers in attendance. For example, Ikuo Mori, the president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, the manufacturer of Subaru vehicles, noted that Subaru is working with Toyota to develop a gas-electric hybrid vehicle; according to Mori, the drivetrain will appear as an option on an existing Subaru model rather than as the basis of a new, hybrid-only vehicle. (If true, things don't look so good for the Hybrid Tourer Concept pictured above.) No word on what the lucky, greener model will...

The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show kicks off today, and even though the event will be much smaller than it's been in recent years, there's already some fun stuff on view. Take, for example, the Honda EV-N concept, a retro minicar with some very distinct styling features, as shown in the weirdly silent video clip below. (Our favorite feature? The Space Invaders-themed grill. Well, that's what it looks like, anyway.)

Although this is an EV, and Honda said just yesterday that it may consider producing an EV minicar in the near future, the company insists that the EV-N is purely concept that's not intended for showrooms. Then again, Honda's gone back on...