Newest Electric Vehicles to Be Displayed at Tokyo Motor Show

October 12, 2019

Tokyo- Automakers will showcase their newest models and prototypes of electric vehicles at the Tokyo Motor Show, set to begin on Oct. 24.

Japanese automakers hope to promote their technologies, amid intensified competition in electric vehicle development, reflecting worldwide moves to tighten environmental restrictions.

Vehicles with cutting-edge technologies, including autonomous driving and artificial intelligence, will be displayed at the event.

Tokyo Big Sight convention center in Koto Ward and nearby facilities, which will host the biennial auto industry show, are expected to turn into a showcase for near-future vehicles.

After an opening event on Oct. 24, the show will be open to the general public from Oct. 25 through Nov. 4. The media preview will be held for two days from Oct. 23.

Toyota Motor Corp. will unveil the LQ, an electric vehicle that will self-drive in selected areas.

The vehicle features a function to detect fatigue in drivers from changes in their expression or posture, by using sensors and other methods, and AI will talk to them to wake them up or inflate part of the car seat to adjust their posture.

Toyota plans to conduct a test using the vehicle on public roads in 2020.

In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the vehicle will accompany the torch relay runners and be used as a lead car in events on roads.

Nissan Motor Co. will showcase the IMk minivehicle-class concept electric vehicle.

The IMk includes functions that will allow the vehicle to park itself after the driver gets out and that will enable the driver to summon the vehicle within a parking area by smartphone.

Honda Motor Co. will show its Honda e electric vehicle, which the automaker will release in Japan in 2020, while Mazda Motor Corp. will display its first mass-production electric vehicle.

Daihatsu Motor Co., a Toyota unit, will showcase the IcoIco electric vehicle, which includes a retractable ramp on the left side of the vehicle, to help children and elderly people get in and out smoothly. Jiji Press