The Tokyo Motor Show, a biannual event that showcases the latest advancements from Japan’s top automotive, motorcycle, and truck brands is now known as the Japan Mobility Show. The event, organized by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA), has opened its doors to even more industries and companies to serve as a unique venue for collaboration. It also reflects the changing direction of many of the car companies, starting from just automobiles or motorcycles, and now expanding to personal mobility and assistance devices.
Divergent paths
Not surprisingly, this year’s inaugural Japan Mobility Show isn’t just about the latest cars and future concepts, but also future forms of mobility in general, whether in the form of personal mobility devices, to the more fantastical personal aerial mobility drones that some brands have even begun to envision.
It shows brands established in the automotive of motorcycles fields, such as Toyota, Honda, Kawasaki, or Yamaha exploring tangent solutions like drones, assistance robots, or personal recreation.
Toyota
Toyota, for example, presented its new Land-Hopper and space mobility concepts. The Land Hopper is a symmetrical three-wheeled electric mobility concept that can be ridden on rugged terrain but can still be folded into a form the size of a suitcase.
The Space Mobility Concept, by contrast, is Toyota’s vision of a future moon buggy, using components designed to operate in such extreme environments as other planets or moons.
Lexus
Lexus presented a concept that allows its customers to explore nature at its most rugged in the form of the ROV Concept. This rugged side by side all-terrain vehicle is powered by a hydrogen engine. In developing the ROV, the goal was to offer a distinctive driving experience not possible with its regular passenger cars.
Honda
Honda, best known for passenger vehicles, is venturing into the commercial sector with its collaboration with Isuzu to develop a fuel-cell powered heavy duty truck. The Isuzu Honda Giga Fuel Cell truck concept is the product, being a heavy duty truck powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology and aimed to be offered to the market by 2027.
That’s not Honda’s only collaboration as it is also working with Cruise, and General Motors to create a driverless ride-hailing service with a vehicle that can seat 6 passengers called the Cruise Origin, plan to be operational in Tokyo by 2026.
Kawasaki
Kawasaki, better known for their motorcycles, has their Kaleido humanoid robot present, designed to offer lifesaving skills such as rescuing people from disaster zones or lifting heavy objects. The robot was designed to offer assistance during earthquake and typhoon relief efforts in Japan.
These are just a few of the divergent paths that some automotive, motorcycle, and truck brands are beginning to embark on. It only proves that the Tokyo Motor Show’s rebranding to Mobility Show is not only timely but prescient of the possibilities.