Tokyo Motor Show grows in comeback year

11.30.2011

, TOKYO, Japan

Tokyo Motor Show grows in comeback year


The Tokyo Motor Show opened to international media Wednesday, the last major industry exhibition of the year, with a focus on green technology and mobility.

Held in the Japanese capital city for the first time since 1987, the 42nd Tokyo show will feature 176 exhibitors from 12 countries, compared with 129 two years ago at the low point of the global financial crisis.

Exhibition space has increased over 60%, and 14 Japanese as well as 20 foreign auto manufacturers will be on hand.

The show will feature 52 world and 82 Japan premieres – with Nissan debuting its Juke Nismo Concept among other vehicles.

Test rides of EVs and over 30 other autos will be offered by exhibitors from December 2, including the Nissan LEAF.

Eco-friendly vehicles and concept cars will take prominence at the Japan show, which punctuates a year in which the car industry struggled with the twin disasters of March and the high yen.

A highlight of the show will be announcement of Japan’s Car of the Year December 3, an award that Nissan hopes to win for the first time since the early 1990s.

“This is an important show, first for all of the auto industry and the Japanese auto industry; it is a year where we’ve had so many challenges and disasters. The fact that we are all here exhibiting a lot of products and a lot of technology means that we have faced the challenge and we have overcome it. We are back to business, back to growth. That’s number one,” said Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor.

“Concerning Nissan, we are showing a lot of technology and a lot of new concepts. This means that Nissan continues to grow. With its growth, not only is it expanding geographically, but also expanding in terms of product lineup and in terms of technology offered. It is going to be a strong show for us.”

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