By Alex Willis, Senior Manager of Industry and Public Affairs
Super cars, camper vans, Formula-E, private luxury micromobility concepts, eVTOL (a.k.a air taxis), assistance robots, and…Pokémon?
All were proudly on display at this year’s Japan Mobility Show, where Japanese-brand automakers, startups, and suppliers showed that even with decades-long legacies, the Japanese auto industry still leads with innovation and is always finding new ways to move the industry forward, while making sure that people remain at the heart of all they do.
This was my first time attending the Japan Mobility Show since it transitioned from being the Tokyo Motor Show back in 2023. The biennial show has always been a way for Japanese-brand automakers to showcase the latest and greatest technology that’s in the vehicles of today and could be in the vehicles of tomorrow. With the inclusion of mobility, the show is much broader, and the sights and sounds of this year’s show demonstrated the diversity and depth of Japanese-brand automakers’ vision.
Nissan delighted with their manga-inspired display, soon to be tested Level 4 automated mobility services, a championship-winning Formula E all-electric race car, vehicle-to-home (V2H) energy delivery, and much more. Honda, well known for their wide-ranging products, had an extraordinarily diverse lineup. Everything from the HondaJet to new kei car concepts, motorcycles, and their 0-series vehicles was on full display. Subaru leaned into their rally and outdoor-loving heritage by not only focusing on the practical use cases for an all-electric SUV but also two new STI-concept models, one being an advanced performance vehicle and the other an all-electric reimaging of what an electric STI could be.
Mazda featured two new world premier concepts: a compact car with an empathetic AI assistant built in and a hyper-futuristic coupe with on-board CO2 capture. Mitsubishi Motors highlighted their new PHEV concepts and their recent rally truck winner. Toyota’s expansive exhibit featured ambitious concepts like personalized automated mobility geared towards getting your child safely and securely to school, assistive robots, modular delivery vehicles, an air taxi, and more.
The exhibit truly ran the gamut of possibilities. Vehicles aside, what was most inspiring from this year’s show was the attention Japanese-brand automakers are giving to life outside the vehicle.
The Tokyo Future Tour, born out of JAMA’s Vision 2035, was a walk through the changing mobility landscape with a focus on life in the near future, rather than decades down the road. These were not all pie-in-the-sky concepts; in many cases, the products featured were near-ready, awaiting demonstration, or working towards commercialization.
The tour included smart crosswalks, electric and automated last-mile delivery vehicles, modular AI data stations, electric vehicles that recharge either via in-road ambient charging or even solar-powered, mobile workstations that allow you to work anywhere, new manufacturing techniques with the lessons learned from 3D printing, and much more.
Vision 2035 came about as Japanese-brand automakers realized the automotive landscape is changing and there are new, shared challenges that they, as well as society, face. These include the need for rapid expansion of logistics services, as products and people need to move faster and more efficiently; better infrastructure that can accommodate new technology; stable trade policy; access to critical resources and minerals for components like batteries; and cross-industry data collaboration.
These are big issues that require a myriad of solutions, many of which can’t necessarily originate from automakers or even the private sector. This is what makes JAMA’s Vision 2035 such an interesting and important initiative. It serves as a blueprint not just for Japanese-brand automakers to collaborate on but also encourages work with other industry stakeholders in Japan and even between the Government of Japan and other nations around the world.
No single show or document can possibly look to crack the code on the changing mobility landscape, but the effort is important and laudable. As someone who last visited the show in 2017, which today seems like a whole world away, the focus on how Japanese-brand automakers can work to help improve society through collaboration, creative solutions, and innovation is welcome and heartening. In coming back stateside and taking time to reflect, I can see that same ethos stitched across the 40+ year history of Japanese-brand automakers in the U.S. It represents a multi-decade effort that has weathered difficult moments and continued to move forward because it’s based on a simple, unwavering dedication to thoughtful innovation and the betterment of society.