Looking Out - The Podcast
Looking Out - The Podcast
Drew Smith & Joe Simpson
EP11 - The Japan Mobility Show review: Toyota's spray-and-pray EVs, Mazda's stunning new RX, and Honda's disappointment.
54 minutes Posted Nov 13, 2023 at 8:00 am.
Intro
Honda at the Japan Mobility Show
The Japan Mobility Show
The context behind the show
Toyota at the Japan Mobility Show
Toyota and the solid state battery hype
Gigacasting and the end of the Toyota Production System
The Toyota IMV 0
Nissan at the Japan Mobility Show
The Mazda Iconic SP
Taking a step back: the opportunity for Japan
Wrap-up
End note
0:00
54:58
Download MP3
Show notes

The Tokyo Motor Show, now known as the Japan Mobility Show, has always been one of the most surprising on the circuit.

Historically the launchpad for some of the wilder concepts the industry has seen, Tokyo has also represented something of a forbidden garden, full of of pocket-sized delights that preview new Kei car models that are soon to hit the streets.

Once upon a time, we’d look at those cars and think “Cute…” and move on. Yet in a world in which automobility desperately needs new answers to the challenges of increasing urbanisation and increasingly limited resources, Japan’s tiny car and sub-car concepts look more and more relevant.

In this show, Joe and Drew survey the Japan Mobility show, covering the hits (Toyota’s IMV 0, Mazda’s Iconic SP, Honda’s CI-MEV and Motocompacto) and the misses (Handa’s new Prelude and every Nissan at the show).

They also look at the opportunity that micromobility represents for Japanese automakers, and why it might just slip through their fingers.

That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.

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