Hot, quirky and green at Tokyo auto show

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Some 77 new cars will make their world debut at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007, which opens to the public Saturday and runs through November 11. A total of 542 vehicles, including 54 motorcycles, will be on display, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
While a few very hot sports cars debuted at the press previews, the majority were quirky environmental options and high-tech concepts.
Nissan released its much-anticipated GT-R sports car on Wednesday. The supercar has a 3.8-liter twin turbo V-6 engine capable of up to 480 horsepower. It can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and has a maximum speed of about 193 mph.

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For the GT-R, Nissan incorporated a new type of transaxle four-wheel drive system in which it placed the dual-clutch transmission and transfer case at the back of the car instead of up front. The design has enabled a better weight distribution throughout the car that will result in a better ride, according to Nissan.
The Nissan GT-R also has three different modes for its dual clutch six-speed transmission: normal, snow and "R," a racing mode that allows the driver to shift quickly at high speeds. Priced at about 7.8 million yen ($68,000), the car is expected to be available in December 2006 in Japan and June 2009 in the U.S.

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Audi on Wednesday delivered the much anticipated A1, aka Audi Metroproject Quattro. The A1 is intended to be a competitor to BMW's Mini Cooper series. It's envisioned as a hybrid-electric car with a 1.4-liter engine. It would be able to do zero to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, have a top speed of 125 mph, and get about 48 mpg. The car could go up to about 60 miles on electric power alone.

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The Taiki is Mazda's fourth concept car with the theme Nagare, which means "flow." The back wheels tucked under wings give the car better aerodynamics. The car body went through wind-tunnel testing that determined this design created a "tunnel" of air between the front body and rear fender, resulting in more downforce and zero lift on the car, according to Mazda.

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The Pivo2 from Nissan looks like something out of a children's comic book. The electric concept car operates by lithium-ion batteries. But that's only the start of its uniqueness. The Pivo2's wheels and cockpit can each separately rotate 360 degrees. In other words, the owner of a Pivo2 would never use reverse. The driver would just rotate the cockpit to face the next desired driving direction. It also comes with a robot that can read and talk to you.

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The I Miev Sport concept car from Mitsubishi is an electric car that can plug into a 200-volt electrical outlet. Its batteries can recharge up to 80 percent in 35 minutes and 8.5 hours for a full charge.
It also has a roof that incorporates solar cells to feed more electricity to the batteries on sunny days. On a full charge the car can go for about 124 miles.

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Nissan also unveiled its Round Box concept (which the company also spells as "R.D./B.X."). The car is a miniature convertible with removable roof. The colorful concept car includes low windows for views of the passing road below.

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Instead of a traditional steering wheel, the Round Box offers something similar to a gaming controller. A built-in screen serves as the dashboard with changing data. Both the driver and passengers can have access to the car's data and entertainment system with a program that virtually passes control of the data from person to person.

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The Volkswagen Space UP is part of the company's new concept series for small cars. It's essentially a mini-minivan. The van has the drivetrain in the rear just like the VW Beetles of old. It will run off either a gasoline or diesel hybrid electric system.

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It seems VW is not the only one with minivans on the brain. The RiN from Toyota Motor is another miniature van concept. The Rin, based on the Yakusugi tree, has tinted green windows and is supposed to offer a "stress free" environment as your drive. The green door slides to the side granting access to both front and rear passengers.

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Here's Suzuki's Sharing Coach (SSC) with the Pixy personal transporter. The Sharing Coach was part of the company's "small cars for a big future" theme. The Pixy is intended for sidewalk use, not the open road, but can be driven up into the back of the SSC. The SSC can hold up to two of them for long distance transport.

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As with Suzuki's Pixy, the Toyota i-Real is another vehicle for one. It runs on battery power alone and is not intended for the road. The i-Real demonstrated here is in its upright position but the rear wheel can kick out for a lower center of gravity when going faster. Toyota has shown several incarnations of this personal transporter concept over the last few years including the i-Wing, the i-Unit and i-Foot.

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The Bobby electric scooter, which can connect its rider to the Internet, is one of 19 concept bikes Yamaha Motor displayed at the show. The company has an "art of engineering" theme for this year's show.

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Toyota's Hi-CT is a plug-in hybrid car with a 1.6-liter engine. Special amenities includes an AC outlet. The trunk and deck in the rear are also removable.