Toyko Motor Show 2011: How Japan got its groove back

Highlights from Toyota include the FCV-R concept, a hydrogen-powered car with a 435 mile range.

For a declining industry with dim prospects for the future, Japanese automakers put on a surprisingly feisty display at this week’s Tokyo Motor Show, vowing to woo back and win fans with a renewed sense of what matters.

With domestic sales in a permanent slide and a culture that once revered cars now focused on mobile computing, Japanese automakers were troubled well before the earthquake and tsunami of last March devastated factories and the entire economy.

In the United States, Japanese automakers lost ground to Detroit and Korean players in mass-market cars, and don’t seem fully competitive for luxury buyers with aggressive European makes. Even among their flagship cars like the Nissan GT-R or Lexus LF-A, Japanese brands had struggled to nurture unique, intriguing designs, while several models, especially from Honda, stood out as blunders.

If there’s a turnaround on the horizon, this Tokyo show was the first glimpse. Still filled with the cute, gadgety concepts known to pop up at the biannual show, major Japanese makers also offered real models with a stronger mission and better design. Most were powered by electricity or some form of hybrid system, yet the most anticipated models — the Toyota GT 86 and Subaru BR-Z — were small sports cars powered only by pure gasoline, designed for the joy of driving.

Here’s a look at the most important unveilings and concepts:

 
 
Toyota unveils GT 86 and a smartphone on wheels

For a far out concept, Toyota showed off a car that’s essentially an iPhone you can sit in, with displays for dashboards and door panels. Its production unveiling was the GT 86, a revival of an affordable, rear-wheel-drive sports car meant to emphasize handling over bruising power. The link between both: CEO and family heir Akio Toyoda’s drive to revive a sense of joy around the company’s models.

 
 
Mazda Takeri previews its next midsize sedan

Still getting over its breakup with Ford, Mazda revealed a concept that’s likely a close read of its upcoming makeover for the Mazda6 sedan — even if the efficient diesel engine won't make it to America at first.



 
 
Honda EV-STER rethinks the electric roadster

Honda has the most ground to regain among Japanese automakers, and laid out plans for new hybrids, electric-powered AWD systems and even cars that can drive themselves on freeways. Two-seat electric runabouts won’t pop up on every street corner anytime soon, but the design of these Honda concepts might hit the road in a few years.

Volkswagen Cross Coupe spells SUV
The only non-Japanese automaker to make a major introduction in Tokyo, this Volkswagen concept previews the look its SUVs will wear.

Subaru slips a peek at next-generation Legacy

The largest supplier of all-wheel-drive station wagons shows what a 21st-century version will look like — except for the ridiculous doors. It also showed the Subaru BRZ in road-going and racing form.

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550


2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 front view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 front view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 front view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 front view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 front view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 front view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 rear view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 rear view
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 interior
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 interior
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 engine
2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 engine

Pugi Mazda dealerships watching new government regulations with interest

And here we go again. The government is stepping into the automotive industry and imposing regulations on automakers. I can't say I'm surprised or that I disagree with the decision; after the mistakes of the past few years across all aspects of the industry, some of the biggest "fail" moments have come from the auto industry. Pugi Mazda drivers know all too well that the effects of the recession leaked heavily into the automotive industry and some manufacturers were affected differently than others. Regardless, it's time for automakers to get serious about efficiency because it represents progression – economic, technological and ecological progression – that we must embrace if we want to move forward as a civilization. Downers Grove Pugi dealers are one of the places where you can see this progression happen.


But back to the government regulations. Beginning with models for the year 2011, fuel economy standards imposed by the government are going to get a big shake up. The original standards were set forth in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) law created in 1975. Pugi Mazda was happy to hear that those standards are getting an extreme bump up. For cars, the previous standard has sat static at a low 27.5 miles per gallon since 1990. For trucks, it's at a very low 23.5 miles per gallon. The new standards will rise to 37.8 miles per gallon and 28.8 miles per gallon respectively by 2016. Downers Grove Pugi dealers aren't very worried about the new standard as Mazda has traditionally embraced a pretty solid fuel economy stance. With solid vehicles like the Mazda 3, the standards should be extremely easy to meet.

The rest of the new CAFE requirements will leverage a wide variety of different criteria, so it would be pretty convoluted to try to get into it here. Regardless, Pugi Mazda understands the new standards, and I expect them to meet those standards without a problem. In fact, most manufacturers shouldn't have a problem meeting the standards. The average is already up among most cars and trucks on the market; recent data collected claims that car fleets average 32.5 CAFE miles per gallon. Trucks weighed in at a solid 24.5 miles per gallon. Downers Grove Mazda drivers would be happy to find out that the brand's average was higher than the general average.

It's great to see that the auto industry is finally getting with the picture and answering consumer demand for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles. After a meager 2009 and low sales before and after that, the industry was in the throes of something so horrific that it needed some form of mantra to shake things up. But here we are, still in the tail end of the recession, and we desperately needed the efficiency that automakers are beginning to deliver. With very little time before the electric vehicle hits the market, the auto industry is finally showing some ability to build buzz around the new things that they're developing and putting on the market.
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