RiZ3R! Posted October 23, 2019 Posted October 23, 2019 Welcome to Autocar’s extended coverage of the Tokyo motor show, one of Japan’s biggest automotive events and the first chance to see many of the cars Japanese manufacturers will be bringing to Europe in the next few years. The 46th edition of the biennial show has opened its doors and one of this year's big themes is electrification. Most of the production and concept cars scheduled to break cover during the event will incorporate some degree of electrification, whether it's mild hybrid technology or a battery-powered drivetrain. Autocar is on the ground in Tokyo to bring you full coverage of the opening press day. Tokyo motor show live blog 12:00 GMT Wednesday 23 October The convention centre has emptied after a busy first day, but there's still plenty of Tokyo motor show news to digest for those of you not running on Japanese time. Subaru was among the last manufacturers to reveal a new model, unveiling the Levorg prototype as a 'grand touring' estate car that uses the company's global platform and a newly-developed 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Nissan was primarily focused on its new concepts at this year's show, but product planning boss Ivan Espinosa still had some words for fans of the brand's Z car line-up. Although he didn't share specifics, we can apparently "expect something soon" on replacements for both the 370Z and GT-R. Yamaha, meanwhile, ruled out further developments with its car programme, instead choosing to focus its efforts elsewhere. Toyota was hoping to make self-driving cars fun with its e-racer concept, a two-seater that could be experienced on a race track at Toyota's stand - albeit in virtual reality. 11:00 GMT Wednesday 23 October Don't get your hopes up about the gas turbine range extender technology Mitsubishi has today revealed ever making it into production. Engineering boss Hiroshi Nagoka said that the technology had only been in development at Mitsubishi for a short time, and it was a long way from proving itself in areas including heat management and control, and suitable materials for durability. That said, it is now the subject of an "advanced development" programme. "Love this old-school approach," says Rachel Burgess: a journalist note-taking on a clipboard at the Alpine press conference. All the better for the amazing neatness of the Japanese language. Could kei cars provide the answer to the death of the city car in Europe? Perhaps, says Mitsubishi's Hiroshi Nagoka. However, while the cars could be engineered to meet the stricter safety and emissions, doing so would reduce the wafer-thin margins on the cars even more, making it a complete non starter. 10:30 GMT Wednesday 23 October An unusual sight for a press conference of a Japanese car company: a female executive on stage. Takeuchi-san is the project manager for the new MX-30 and also happens to be one of the best test drivers at Mazda, an insider tells me. Takeuchi-san remained coy on the firm's broader EV strategy, saying: "The first thing for us to do is to deliver the MX-30 to Europe." We do, however, know that all Mazda models will have an electrified variant by 2030. That's later than plenty of its rivals, but Mazda is going against the grain by continuing to develop petrol and diesel engines alongside electrification. Only last week, the European R&D boss told me that a next-generation diesel powertrain will launch next year.
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