Japan Mobility Show Bids for Relevance in Slow Market

The Japan Mobility Show, formerly the Tokyo Motor Show, opened its doors to the public on Thursday, Oct. 26, and will run through Sunday, Nov. 5.

For those of us who attended the Tokyo Motor Show during the glory years of the late 1980s and early 1990s when attendance approached and exceeded 2 million, it is hard to discern the show organizers’ goal.

Is it to attract interest in cars among young people in Japan, thus helping reverse sagging sales which fell to a nearly 50-year low last year? Or is it to highlight the Japanese industry’s powertrain technology as automakers around the world shift rapidly to battery-electric cars? Japan is lagging with only 2% of sales all-electric.

Or do organizers truly believe that bringing multiple industries together – nearly 500 participants including startups – will revitalize the domestic industry which, with the exception of Toyota and Suzuki, has struggled?

The main focus of concept cars this year is on BEVs as every automaker unveiled at least one model. Then again, this isn’t the first time Japanese automakers have exhibited battery-powered concepts. In 2007, the show focused on alternative propulsion, mostly BEVs and hybrids.

Four years ago, before the pandemic, we spoke to Mitsubishi CEO Osamu Masuko about the state of the Japanese auto market, specifically about why there are so few interesting cars. Masuko, who passed away the following summer, was surprisingly blunt.

“Cars are no longer a source of dreams,” he said. “Back when I got into this business, a car helped define who you were as a person. They’re no longer essential. Your phone is (defining), not your car for many people, particularly people living in cities and old people.”

Masuko added that “Japan’s population is declining and aging (nearly 30% are over 65 and 10% over 80). As a result, automotive demand can be expected to go down.”

BYD SEAL cropped

This year’s show, although boasting a record number of participants, features only 12 automakers including only two from Europe, one from China (BYD Seal pictured above) and none from North America. The show is largely a Japanese affair.

Among Japanese brands: