Japan Mobility Show needs to turn bold concepts into cars

I find it tiresome when people come back from Japan raving about how ‘weird’ everything is.

Its alphabet may be unreadable to Western eyes; its streets may be filled with pint-sized kei cars seemingly no larger than a G-Wagen key fob; and its residents may start the day with miso soup and grilled fish. But calling Japan ‘weird’ is disrespectful. It is different from what you know. That difference is precisely what makes a visit such a bracing assault on cheese-covered Western sensibilities.

I have just completed two frantic days at the Japan Mobility Show. Once upon a time, it would simply have been known as a motor show, but carmakers now prefer to claim they offer ‘mobility solutions’.

Photography: Toby Thyer

Japan Mobility Show: mobility at its most imaginative

Everywhere you looked were EVs, autonomous pods, robots, droids and drones. It felt like a class reunion for supporting Star Wars characters.

Toyota’s stand alone featured an off-road ‘Land Cruiser’ wheelchair, a walking stool that enables disabled people to dance, and an autonomous pod for children travelling to school - a response to the fact that seven-year-olds starting primary school are statistically Japan’s most frequent victims of traffic accidents.

Alongside Toyota’s collection of concept vans, a crab-walking coffee table scurried around, intended to transport parcels to rural communities.

So, yes: there was ‘weirdness’. This was Japan’s motor industry in its most colourful, inventive form. There was also a tangible spirit of resistance, as Japan acknowledged it had given too much territory to ambitious Chinese arrivals targeting market share with attractively priced EVs, capable AI software and a ‘move fast and break things’ mentality.

Concepts abound, but few cars to buy

Yet, inspect the headline attractions more carefully and it becomes clear that there were very few cars customers can actually purchase.

Toyota unveiled a new Corolla - an assertively styled, coupe-like saloon, no less - but it remains merely a concept. There are only broad pledges that it could accommodate combustion engines, mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains.

Lexus caused a major stir by declaring luxury saloons officially finished, with the LS’s future taking the form of a slab-sided, six-wheeled van. Should that fail to fit through the paparazzi, its A-list passenger will switch to a self-driving single-seat trike to complete the journey to the gig.

The Lexus stand also included an autonomous catamaran yacht, plus glimpses of a raised sports coupé, the LS Coupe, and the Sports Concept. The latter appears destined to become an all-electric sibling to the forthcoming V8 GR supercar. It even has an integrated high-speed drone.

They were all imaginative and thrilling ideas, but none was anything you could buy. Not yet.

The same applies to Mazda’s latest promise to revive the rotary engine, seemingly for the billionth time. Subaru, meanwhile, again looked back to its rallying heyday. It was all highly energetic, yet there was hardly any information on sale dates or prices. Details of how Century will become a Rolls-Royce challenger were similarly scarce. That is a shame, as the huge, menacing orange coupé looked magnificent.

Small, affordable Japanese cars offer optimism

Almost the sole marque displaying a genuine production-ready car for public consumption was Honda. It removed the camouflage from the Super-EV concept and revealed the appealingly pugilistic kei car now known as the Super-N. Its range, price and performance remain undisclosed, but it at least has door handles.

Indeed, much of the optimism at JMS stems from Japan’s campaign to preserve the inexpensive small car. Alongside the Super-N came an attractive Mazda supermini concept, while Daihatsu shattered our jet-lagged hearts by presenting its best-looking Copen roadster so far, albeit as a concept, before confirming it would not be sold in Europe. Please reconsider!

Japan has unquestionably recharged its creative instincts. There was a great deal of sober recognition that its formerly cautious marques must build cool cars that people ‘want’ to buy, because serving as a mass-market means of transport is no longer sufficient. Not with competitors so plentiful and improving so rapidly.

What is needed now are the production models: promises delivered that demonstrate Japan is not satisfied with making something ‘weird’ simply for a brief moment of amusement.

Build the bold, edgy ideas, and Japan can reclaim its position as the car industry’s most powerful influencer.