Today there is an urgent need for harmony between technology and the environment. When pursuing functionality and efficiency, the environment must be taken into consideration. This approach is in close keeping with the traditional view of nature held by the Japanese people. In fact, the age-old term "aioi" expresses the idea of coexistence with nature and that concept is still alive in many different areas of Japanese culture, including architecture, tools and the arts. In this display, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association is pleased to present new automotive technologies aimed at minimizing the impact of motor vehicles on the environment. We believe we should look back to the traditional Japanese view of nature as we develop advanced technologies for the next generation.
Where automobiles are concerned, answers must be found to the questions of what technologies are needed in view of pressing environmental issues such as global warming, and how those technologies are to be achieved.
Today environmental issues are not limited to local air and water pollution, noise, and waste disposal, but extend to problems of worldwide proportions such as acid rain, global warming, and the destruction of the ozone layer. Of great urgency at present is the prevention of global warming, which calls for measures to limit the emission of greenhouse gases consisting principally of carbon dioxide (CO2). In response to this need, the automotive industry is making strenuous efforts in various areas, including improvements in fuel economy, the development of clean-energy vehicles, and reductions in the consumption of energy throughout the production process. We believe that environmental protection and energy and resource conservation are of the greatest importance and that environment-friendly technologies applied to the manufacture of automobiles should be put into practice as swiftly as possible.
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