Inside the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show

The bi-annual passenger car edition of the Tokyo Motorshow opened the doors of its massive Makuhari Messe venue last week as automakers the world over showed their wares to — time and again — a very impressed audience.

Despite just following the footsteps of another major international motor show (the Frankfurt Motor Show), the Tokyo Motor Show still boasted a total of 268 exhibitors from 14 countries. And as if to further bolster its reputation as the top motor show in Asia and one of the top four biggest and most significant motor shows in the world, no less than 87 cars made their world premieres — among them a barrage of the always eye-popping and technology-stretching concept cars.

The Home Players

Needless to say, Japanese carmakers came out full-force on their home ground, so much that it’s simply impossible to list down even half of the various models and fit them within the confines of a news section. Here are the highlights:

Mitsubishi, the fourth largest automaker in Japan, displayed no fewer than 21 models comprised of 15 production or pre-production models, two race cars and four concept vehicles.

The production models were an assortment of Lancer, Pajero, Airtrek (which is the new Outlander in the Philippines), Grandis (a large station wagon/minivan crossover), Colt (a tall boxy small wagon not unlike the Toyota Echo Verso) and eK (an even smaller Colt-like tall wagon powered by a 660cc turbo-intercooled motor) models.

Features like Mitsubishi’s MIVEC high-performance variable valve timing, its turbocharging and intercooling expertise, as well as its all-wheel-drive (from the Lancer Evolution and the Pajero) and gasoline direct injection GDI technologies were all brought to the fore by the production models.

Mitsubishi technology, particularly in the areas of performance, fuel economy, safety and exterior and interior design, was showcased by the i (yes, it’s called the i), SE-RO, CZ2 Cabriolet and Tarmac Spyder concept cars. Mitsubishi’s successful racing heritage were represented by two legendary race cars: a Lancer Evolution and a Pajero Evolution.

Honda, Japan’s second biggest automaker in terms of sales volume, displayed its own world-renowned technical prowess by showing off, among others, an 8-seat hybrid minivan powered by a V6 gasoline engine supplemented by an electric motor. Honda further underscored its technological strengths by having the low-slung fuel cell-powered Kiwami concept sedan on display.

Toyota, Japan’s biggest and top-selling carmaker, meanwhile unleashed its Crown Concept, a luxury sedan with enough safety features to rival the best (and the safest) luxury cars from Germany and Sweden. It also showed its take on fuel cell technology with the Fine-N concept, propelled by electric motors housed in each wheel.

Ford-owned Mazda, which will soon market its own cars in the Philippines, showed off the Ibuki roadster as well as a hydrogen-powered version of its groundbreaking RX-8 Wankel rotary-engined sports car.

Nissan, Japan’s third biggest automaker and partnered by France’s Renault, displayed close to a dozen models highlighting various concepts and technologies including fuel cells, innovative interior packaging as well as exterior design.

Subaru, now a subsidiary of GM, unveiled a variety of electric powered models, both big and small, most of which boasted the Japanese company’s legendary all-wheel-drive technology.

The Imports

Even though more than a dozen European, American and Korean carmakers export their wares to Japan, they account for less than five percent of the market. But despite this small figure, the luxury brands play a very high-profile role in the marketplace. BMW and Mercedes abound in upscale areas, with Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Audi starting to make their presence felt.

BMW, Japan’s third largest importer last year, had a 20-vehicle display highlighted by the new 5-series mid-sized sedan and the even newer X3 small SUV. Mercedes-Benz showed off its V8-powered SLR supercar developed jointly with F1 car builder McLaren. Volvo, on the other hand, displayed its Versatility Concept Car (VCC) together with the critically acclaimed XC90 and the latest S40 model. Other European automakers present were Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Opel, Peugeot-Citroen, Renault, Saab and Volkswagen.

On the American side, Ford had its 1960s GT40-inspired supercar, the all-new 500-hp GT, on stage to celebrate its centennial while rival General Motors, represented by no less than five brands in Japan, debuted 13 vehicles. GM’s emissions-free Hy-Wire concept car, marries hydrogen fuel cell technology with "by-wire" steering, brake and throttle control.

Chrysler/Jeep, the American side of the DaimlerChrysler equation, debuted in Japan its sexy Crossfire coupe as well as the 5.7-liter V8-powered 300C Touring Concept rear-wheel-drive wagon.

Of course, super high-end brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Rolls-Royce and Mercedes’ Maybach were all out in force with their spectacular (not to mention breathtakingly expensive) cars.

Asian rivals Kia and Hyundai were there too, their good-looking concept cars and production models displaying a decidedly upmarket slant to highlight their higher automotive aspirations.

All things considered, the Tokyo Motor Show, like its counterparts in Frankfurt, Geneva and Detroit, remains a bastion of automakers’ might, not only in terms of sheer technology but also in terms of how they deliver it to the consumer. Because judging from the audiences’ reactions to the myriad displays, the cars and the concepts are more appealing than ever.