This was reported by Kyodo, according to Ukrinform’s report.

At a time when the transition to battery-powered vehicles is accelerating worldwide, the current exhibition is of great importance for Japanese automakers trying to catch up with their overseas rivals such as Tesla in electric vehicle development.

This year, the auto show in Tokyo was held for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak and brought together 475 exhibitors, including the Chinese electric car giant BYD, which was represented for the first time.

Toyota Motor, the world’s largest automobile manufacturer in terms of volume, introduced the LF-ZC, the concept model of the new generation Lexus brand electric car planned to be launched in 2026. The vehicle is manufactured using the next generation vehicle architecture and with the most advanced hardware and software.

Toyota, a pioneer in gasoline-electric hybrids, was previously thought to stay away from fully electric vehicles, but the company is now devoting more resources to electric cars to expand its environmentally friendly product range. Toyota, which sold only 24,000 electric cars in 2022, promised to increase this number to 1.5 million in 2026.

Honda Motor introduced Cruise Origin, an autonomous electric vehicle developed in partnership with General Motors and its subsidiary Cruise LLC. This car, which has no driver’s seat or steering wheel, will be used for the driverless taxi service that the three companies plan to launch in Tokyo in 2026.

Nissan Motor Company has presented the concept of a luxury minivan with an all-electric drive Nissan Hyper Tourer, designed to run entirely on solid-state batteries and equipped with fully autonomous driving technology.

The car’s artificial intelligence system from Nissan can monitor the driver’s biometric data and automatically change the operation of the air conditioning or lighting according to his mood. In autonomous driving mode, the front seats of this electric car can rotate 360°, so that front and back seat passengers can communicate face to face.

Unlike its Japanese rivals, which focus on concepts, BYD showcased the existing EV models it currently sells in Japan and beyond, offering customers a more realistic choice, including the U8 luxury SUV. The Chinese company assured that they have a variety of vehicles, from family cars to premium class cars, and that they can offer a wide range of electric car options.

Transportation technology other than automobiles also attracted attention at this year’s fair.

Thus, Subaru Corporation introduced the Subaru Air Mobility flying car concept, which is currently under development. It is assumed that this car, which is 6 meters long and 4.5 meters wide, can be used for transportation in remote areas.

Suzuki Motor, which cooperates with the local company SkyDrive in the production of flying cars, showed a model of the car that it plans to start production next spring.

Roller coaster manufacturer Sansei Technologies has introduced the SR-02, a four-legged robot that can walk like an elephant and carry up to four people. This robot, which is approximately 3.6 meters long and approximately 2.1 meters high, is planned to be used for entertainment purposes in an amusement park.

According to Ukrinform, Mitsubishi Motors, a Japanese company that is one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers and produces more than 1.6 million cars, trucks and commercial cars annually, announced that it is withdrawing from the Chinese market and will close its only factory in China. PRC.

Photo: “Kyodo”