Tokyo dreaming: early reveals

FANS of the word’s most popular two-seater, the Mazda MX-5, are agog for news of Mazda’s next sports car, but will have to wait for its unveiling at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the media on October 29.

Mazda will show 14 models at the show and has, meanwhile, lifted the lid on the crossover concept,
the Koeru, which embodies Mazda’s proactive safety philosophy in very sleek lines.

Small and rear-wheel driven

One sports car that already has drivers smiling is Toyota’s S-FR.

The letters stand for small, front-engine, rear-drive, with the key word being “small”.

The entry-level sportscar rides on a 2,78 metre wheelbase, but the designers still managed to squeeze four seats into the cabin.

Toyota said production starts next year and it will sell the S-FR in select markets from 2017.

Having catered for real drivers, Toyota will also show a lot of weird and wonderful wheels for Fomo sufferers at Tokyo.

For Fomo sufferers

The most colourful car at the Tokyo show promises to be Nissan’s Teatro for Dayz.

Billed as a car for “share natives” who want cars not for the joy of driving or their own private space, but a better way to connect with friends and share experiences, the Teatro for Dayz is basically a big blank canvas on which to display visuals.

Nissan executive design director Satoshi Tai said that in drive mode, meters, controls and maps appear on the pure-white instrument panel, but when parked, the interior becomes a live display for a generation wired for connectivity, starting with the dashboard.

The plain exterior can be fitted with LED screens for further self-expression and sharing.

Any experience in or around the car can be shared instantly via an onboard camera.

Another screen on wheels

Suzuki will be showing four small models that look to be production ready, but the crowds will flock to the Air Triser, a concept three-row minivan.

Despite its Kei-car dimensions, the tiny van has a roomy cabin with seat backs that fold flat to become benches — either in face-to-face or curved “sofa” formations to create what Suzuki calls a “private lounge”.

And as in the Teatro, users in the Triser never have to miss a moment of audio-visual entertainment, as they are provided with a large-format display that extends from one of the B-pillars to the ceiling, allowing them to project movies.