Tokyo, Japan - 20 November 2013
1. Front shot of Nissan's EV concept car, the Blade Glider with the doors opening automatically.
2. Right to left pan of the Blade Glider with doors open.
3. Shot of interior of Blade Glider
4. Shot of the rear of the Blade Glider
5. Shot of Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co.,Ltd. standing nearby the Blade Glider.
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co.,Ltd.
"The Blade Glider that you see behind me which is a triangular car . . . and this is a shape which is not possible if you are using a normal combustion engine. It is possible only because we have two in-wheel motors moving the car and this allows you a lot of freedom into positioning the driver in the middle of the car and having it triangular and 360 degrees vision and everything which goes with it. This is not only a concept but it is something which precludes the fact that Nissan is going to be extremely innovative thanks to the electric vehicle architecture. Extremely innovative in terms of shape of cars to come."
7. Ghosn on stage during Nissan's presentation
8. Shot of two more Nissan concept cars (the IDx Freeflow and the IDx NISMO", developed under the brand "Co-creation for young people".
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co.,Ltd.
"The concept cars are here to test. They are here to have a reaction. To have a reaction from our public from our consumers whether they are visiting the motor show or whether they're reacting on the social media. They see the product, they see the concept, they like they don't like, they comment and this is very helpful for us because it's going to trigger or more development around this concept or dropping the concept depending on this. So that's why you see from time to time concept cars that never transform into normal cars or marketable cars but on the contrary a lot of new cars, innovative cars, coming out of the concept car which has been very successful."
10. Side shot of the Toyota FV2 concept vehicle.
11. Shot from the rear of the FV2 as Takeo Moriai, Project Manager at Toyota, approaches the vehicle and touches it to open it.
12. Moriai demonstrates how the FV2 is controlled by body movement.
13. Front shot Moriai demonstrates how the FV2 is controlled by body movement.
14. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takeo Moriai, Project Manager at Toyota Motor Corporation
"Our concept was to create a vehicle that intuitively interacted with the driver. These days there are many smartphones and new game consoles that interact with users in different ways but cars still rely on steering wheels and brake pedals. If one can steers a vehicle by just moving their body then even children would be able to use it and driving would be more fun and that's why we wanted to build this car."
15. Shot from the rear of the FV2
16. Shot of Moriai explaining about the technology of the front screen.
17. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takeo Moriai, Project Manager at Toyota Motor Corporation
"The front screen will display your destination without obstructing the view of the road in front of you. The area of the screen that does this is still small and one of the things we'll be doing next, is to enlarge it."
18. FV2 closing
19. Cutaway - Toyota Newly released Fuel Cell Concept car.
20. Cutaway - Daihatsu concept vehicle
21. Cutaway - Daihatsu concept vehicle called Deca Deca
22. Cutaway - Models demonstrate how to remove panels from the KOPEN Daihatsu concept car.
23. Cutaway - Model removing side panel of KOPEN concept car.
24. Cutaway - Model replacing the hood of a KOPEN concept car with one of a different colour.
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Hans Greimel, Asia Editor for Automotive News
"This year things are back to normal and we have the Japanese back in full force. Lots of concepts here. The stands are bristling with concept vehicles and we need these concept vehicles to kind of show that yes we are thinking again about the future, we are thinking about expansion, we're thinking about growth, and these concept vehicles really underline that push forward by the Japanese".
26. Front shot of the BMW i8 - concept car
27. Left to right pan of the BMW i8 concept car
28. Front shot of the BMW4 series Cabriolet - World Premiere
29. Interior of the BMW4 series Cabriolet
30. Rear shot of the BMW4 series Cabriolet
31. SOUNDBITE (English) Alan Harris, President of BMW Japan
"People are not looking for the excesses of the past. They still want premium but their ideas of premium have changed and they want to have the best of both worlds. They want to be seen to be environmentally conscious and let's say 'green' in some ways but they still want to retain those luxury dynamic premium qualities that they now from the past, especially with a brand like BMW".
32. Toyota concept vehicle demonstration at the Toyota booth.
The experts here say things are starting to look up again - starting with this triangular-shaped vehicle with doors that open like wings.
It's Nissan's all-electric "BladeGlider," a three-seater vehicle that is designed with aerodynamics in mind and is powered by a lithium ion battery.
Nissan's President and CEO Carlos Ghosn was on hand at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show to explain the idea behind the concept car.
"The Blade Glider that you see behind me which is a triangular car . . . and this is a shape which is not possible if you are using a normal combustion engine. It is possible only because we have two in-wheel motors moving the car and this allows you a lot of freedom into positioning the driver in the middle of the car and having it triangular and 360 degrees vision and everything which goes with it. This is not only a concept but it is something which precludes the fact that Nissan is going to be extremely innovative thanks to the electric vehicle architecture. Extremely innovative in terms of shape of cars to come."
Nissan is also unveiling the IDx Nismo and IDx Freeflow concept vehicles at the show.
But what is the point of futuristic concept cars when so few come to the market ?
Ghosn explains that they provoke a reaction and act as a platform to try out new ideas.
"The concept cars are here to test. They are here to have a reaction. To have a reaction from our public from our consumers whether they are visiting the motor show or whether they're reacting on the social media. They see the product, they see the concept, they like they don't like, they comment and this is very helpful for us because it's going to trigger or more development around this concept or dropping the concept depending on this. So that's why you see from time to time concept cars that never transform into normal cars or marketable cars but on the contrary a lot of new cars, innovative cars, coming out of the concept car which has been very successful." he says.
One of Toyota's concept cars is this sleek Fun Vehicle 2 (FV2), which does away with the conventional steering wheel and is controlled by the driver's body movements instead.
The scooter-like vehicle interacts with the driver without the use of the conventional steering wheel or brake pedals.
The driver controls the car with body movement leaning to one side to make it turn in a manner that resembles the personal mobility vehicle, the Toyota Winglet.
Takeo Moriai, Project Manager at Toyota Motor Corporation, says that steering it is child's play.
"Our concept was to create a vehicle that intuitively interacted with the driver. These days there are many smartphones and new game consoles that interact with users in different ways but cars still rely on steering wheels and brake pedals. If one can steers a vehicle by just moving their body then even children would be able to use it and driving would be more fun and that's why we wanted to build this car."
Moriai adds that drivers will be able to watch the information screen and the road at the same time: "The front screen will display your destination without obstructing the view of the road in front of you. The area of the screen that does this is still small and one of the things we'll be doing next, is to enlarge it."
Toyota's other headline grabbing concept car is the more conventional looking Fuel Cell concept car.
Nothing is conventional about this car under the hood though.
It has a motor powered by fuel cells which give it an autonomy of between 500-700km (310 - 435 miles) and it can be recharged in just 3 minutes.
Toyota designers explain that the heat generated by the motor is so great that it requires large amounts of air for cooling and this explains the large grill at the front of the car.
Daihatsu, renowned for its smaller car models, is showing off a series of concept kei-cars (or k-cars) popular in the Japanese market with the intention to revive a sector that is normally just known for being economical.
Their new models ranged from models with exceptionally high roofs that offered extra space to the more sporty KOPEN models with panels so easily detachable and replaceable that you can even change the colour of the whole car in minutes.
The level of activity and buzz surrounding this year's motor show hasn't been seen for many years.
Hans Griemel of Automotive News, says that Japanese manufacturers are back in full force: "This year things are back to normal and we have the Japanese back in full force. Lots of concepts here. The stands are bristling with concept vehicles and we need these concept vehicles to kind of show that yes we are thinking again about the future, we are thinking about expansion, we're thinking about growth, and these concept vehicles really underline that push forward by the Japanese".
To whet appetites, automakers are making high-performance, luxury electric versions that give up little or nothing in performance.
BMW's i8 is a hybrid sports car that uses carbon-fibre parts to save weight so it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in just 4.5 seconds.
While major US manufacturers are notably missing at this year's show, European manufacturers are present in force with many familiar names from Volvo to Audi, and from BMW to Mercedes all present with large booths.
Even if Japan represents still a relatively small market for many of these companies, many brands have had considerable success especially at the high end of the market spectrum.
Testament to this is BMW's decision to have the worldwide premiere of their 4 Series Cabriolet models here this year.
Some other European manufacturers such as Porsche and Mercedes Benz also have some new releases in Japan.
The luxury market has seen a move away from the excesses of past years and now even premium consumers want to be seen to be environmentally conscious, says BMW Japan's President Alan Harris.
"People are not looking for the excesses of the past. They still want premium but their ideas of premium have changed and they want to have the best of both worlds. They want to be seen to be environmentally conscious and let's say 'green' in some ways but they still want to retain those luxury dynamic premium qualities that they now from the past, especially with a brand like BMW".
After some disappointing years, the 2013 Motor Show seems to be largely reflecting the optimism there is in Japan's much touted economic revival and points to a future that's greener, more efficient and more fun.
Over 400 foreign and domestic vehicles are on display at the biennial Tokyo Motor Show, which hosts over 30 Japanese and foreign automakers as well as dozens of parts makers and industry related exhibitors.
The Tokyo Motor Show opens to the public on Saturday November 23rd and runs until Sunday December 1st.
