Motor Show

Nov 12 2007 3 Comments

Tokyo Motor show imagination

A lot of the coverage for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show has concentrated on the fairly considerable contingent of concept cars, with their state-of-the-art but at the same time somewhat silly designs.

Yet for exhibitors revealing nothing more than round bits of rubber, it has meant a bit of extra effort has been needed to entice both the public and press alike. A situation that presumably prompted Osaka-based Toyo Tires to attempt something a little different with its ‘Feel The Excite’ show.

A plan it appears to have successfully pulled off with these slick, racy looking little numbers,

which are very well balanced,

and all in all, moulded to a very high standard indeed.

Nov 07 2007 10 Comments

Tokyo Times transformation #2

Fashion in Japan certainly changes quicker than the face of Tokyo Times, but in a desperate attempt to appear up-to-date, I’ve launched a new look. Hardly a drastic change it has to be said, but it is different — sort of. Miniaturising the Hello Kitty header was a major decision though, and if it’s missed I may have to go back. Basic isn’t always best.

Anyway, hopefully everything will work as it should, but if it doesn’t please leave a comment. And in the meantime, here’s a far more fetching redesign by motor car maker Suzuki. The company’s new model currently making more than a few waves at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Apologies to those who may have seen this picture when it was briefly posted yesterday. A few major issues meant that it quickly had to be yanked, so to speak, until the problems were solved.

Nov 14 2005 5 Comments

Motorcycle emptiness

Whilst tediously trekking through this site’s archives would offer very few clues, I am actually something of a motorcycle fan — meaning that the recently held Tokyo Motor Show was a must see event.

Of particular interest was this, erm, green Kawasaki. It’s smooth contours and appealing shape not only catching my eye, but those of countless other camera wielding bike lovers.

Equally enticing was the blue and white Suzuki below. A cheeky little number that garnered a lot attention with its compact frame and petite but perfectly formed carburettors. Which unfortunately you’ll have to take my word for, as the bike was obscured somewhat by a company employee.

(Click on images for added gratuitousness)

Oct 06 2005 2 Comments

Bow W.O.W

Pet transportation it seems is the current big thing in Japan, as just a few days after the introduction of new animal train tickets, Honda Motors has unveiled a concept car that caters specifically for canines.

The W.O.W (or ‘wonderful openhearted wagon’) as it is rather optimistically named, is designed for the country’s growing number of dog owners; a purpose built glove compartment allowing space for a petite pooch. The idea being that the driver can easily interact with his or her pet. Although how this would go down with safety officials wasn’t elaborated on.

In the back of the car, a cage can be popped open, creating a secure place for a slightly bigger beast. And for truly mammoth mutts, a seat belt set into the floor allows them to be safely buckled in.

Considering the type of passengers it’s designed for, the W.O.W comes complete with both removable and easy to clean flooring, plus its wide sliding doors are purpose built to keep cavorting canines happy.

Explaining the design, a spokesperson from Honda said, â€œWe created this vehicle from the point of view of a dog, but it turned out to be a gentler vehicle for the elderly, children and other family members.” Although how grandma and granddad would react to being strapped to the floor on trips to the supermarket remains to be seen.

Dec 27 2004 Leave a Comment

Fictitious foreign felons

After taking a nap but oversleeping and waking up 5 hours after his scheduled arrival, a 34-year-old unnamed truck driver was understandably in something of a panic.

But the tried and trusted excuses of a bad stomach or heavy traffic were obviously too mundane for this imaginative young driver. As after waking up he called the police emergency line and said, “Four foreigners abducted me for some five hours.” And to add a little more detail to make the story (slightly) more believable, he went on to say that, “They asked where an expressway bus stop was at about 5:30 a.m. Someone covered my head with a paper bag from behind, and I was forced into a car.”

The call resulted in 30 officers being mobilized to find the felonious foreigners. But after more detailed questioning the police begin to suspect the tale didn’t quite add up. Especially as the driver had no noticeable injuries, despite claiming that he was eventually kicked out of a moving car at the end of his ordeal.

After further grilling the dishonest driver confessed that he concocted the story in a bid to cover-up oversleeping. Needless to say the police plan to send the case to prosecutors.

A truck driver not abducted by foreigners yesterday.

Nov 08 2004 Leave a Comment

Motor Show melee

A couple of days ago I posted a few pictures from this year’s Tokyo Motor Show. But like any motor event worth of its salt, as well as a vast amount of vehicles on display, there was a similarly large bevy of beauties.

Now whilst a few people could be spotted actually taking pictures of cars, they were very few and far between. As the majority of the camera wielding (and male) crowd was intent on saving important film and memory card space for the scantily clad ladies doing all the promoting.

So much so in fact, that the booth that garnered the biggest crowd was the one owned by Toyo Tires. And despite containing no vehicles (or indeed tires), there was no shortage of interested customers.

But rather than enter the sweaty and salivating crowd to get my own pictures (I’m a big Toyo Tires fan you see), I found that a quick walk around the back of the booth offered a (quite literally) cheeky little shot of what I was missing.

From what I could work out, a vote of some kind was going on. And as you can see, the man at the back is a big fan of girl number 1.

It’s a tough call though.

Motor Show

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