Washington, D.C.–January 8, 2004–Japanese manufacturers, looking to the future, are focusing their investments on fuel cells, according to Japan Auto Trends, the newsletter of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) released today.

In late October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Japanese hybrids as the most fuel-efficient vehicles available for the 2004 model year in America.

"The challenges toward true sustainable mobility are extraordinary, but we are already beginning to see the first light of this new day peeking above the horizon," said William C. Duncan, General Director, JAMA USA.

Visitors to the recent Tokyo Motor Show at the Makuhari convention center were treated to a glimpse into the automotive future. Manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota and Subaru showcased hybrid vehicles, and there was aggressive discussion of worldwide market targets for environmentally friendly vehicles made in Japan.

"Tokyo provided an important backdrop for this display of clean energy vehicles … the Japanese government and auto industry are pushing aggressively to develop and introduce clean energy vehicle into the Japanese market," Duncan said.

Duncan noted that governments will play an important role in moving towards sustainable mobility but that it will not be the governments that make it happen. "Sustainable mobility will come from the engineers, designers and executives of the world's automotive companies and from consumers," he added.

The Tokyo Motor Show drew 1.42 million visitors who were able to see these clean energy vehicles as well as other automobiles and motorcycles from 63 domestic and foreign manufacturers.

The quarterly "Executive Highlights" column focuses on the development and marketing approach of Shinichi Morita, Senior Vice President, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., the long-time motorcycle manufacturer.

Patrons at the Tokyo Motor Show saw vivid evidence of Morita's "challenging, unconventional and hard-core" approach. A new line of products is aimed at customers who prefer high-performance motorcycles, including the ground-breaking Vulcan 2000, which mixes traditional and modern design elements.

"Our company has chosen to market high-performance models aimed at the developed countries," Morita said. "We are emphasizing attractive design, superior technology and the latest models that appeal to the world market."

"We must see through the eyes of consumers rather than our point of view," Morita added.

The newsletter's "Snapshots" feature offers a brief, first-of-two-parts look at the beginnings of Japan's car manufacturing companies - Mitsubishi, Mazda, Honda and Nissan. Other companies will be featured in the next newsletter.

Other stories in the newsletter include:

• Motor Show Features 84 Premieres
• Japanese Automakers Offer More Space in Restyled Compacts
• Auto Executives Push for Global Safety and Environmental Standards

Japan Auto Trends, the JAMA newsletter, examines developments in Japan's auto markets. This publication and all back issues are available on the JAMA web site, www.jama.org. JAMA, located in Tokyo, has offices in Washington, D.C., Brussels, Beijing and Singapore.