Japan Mobility Show (2023) viewed through a 5 ⭐️ lens
A brief note on our rating methodology: the manufacturer’s announcements are mainly scored on their practicality, uniqueness, and production viability.
Subaru ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Subaru starts us off at a standard score of three out of five stars. With a fresh and new looking SPORT MOBILITY Concept, Subaru could have earned a better than average score at four stars, however, unable to contain themselves, they ended up making a copy of several years-old flying cars with their AIR MOBILITY Concept that has always been regarded as impractical. It really puts into question if Subaru is serious about putting any of these concepts into production and sets their final score at a three.
Mazda ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Following Subaru, we have Mazda with another “pie in the sky” concept vehicle, the Mazda Iconic SP Concept. While the visuals are top tier and pop up headlights are always worth 5 stars, Mazda made the head scratching decision to announce this vehicle was partly powered by a rotary engine. This decision would have fully locked in a 5 star rating if they were actually connected to the wheels. As they showed off at the mobility show, Mazda is using the rotary engine as nothing more than a range extender to the battery packs housed inside the vehicle. With such a complex system and low margin of these vehicles sold, we highly doubt that this car would ever make it to production, but I do hope they prove us wrong. With such a unique vehicle we award Mazda with a four out of five stars.
Nissan ⭐️
Now for a car we hope never makes it into production, the Nissan Hyper Force concept. This vehicle is a sad look into the future of electric vehicle development, where all our cars are made out of sharp cut lines and creases, losing personality and characteristics along every angle. In certain cars, this style could look great, however in the vast majority any and all character is lost, especially when applied to a vehicle with as strong of a style identity as the GTR. Just take a look at the old BMW VISION M NEXT from years ago and you will understand why we give Nissan a rating of one out of five stars.
Honda ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
However, not everything at the auto show ended up being distant, futuristic vehicles that will never be built. Honda really impressed us, earning five out of five stars, with the reveal of the Honda Prelude Concept. It looked like something straight off the production line and will surely be something we can purchase in the not so distant future. They also showed off the Sustaina-C Concept which was very similar to the beloved Honda e (please if you are reading this Honda bring it to America) and the Honda Pocket Concept designed to give a modern day revival of the classic Motocompo. Overall their booth was full of surprises and was very practical, five out of five stars.
Toyota/Lexus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finally we have Toyota/Lexus with a number of concepts that don’t stray too far from their current design language. A few notable concepts kept their score at a combined four out of five stars. Those would include things like the GR FT-Se that was a much welcomed confirmation of Toyota’s GR division continuing into the future of Battery electric vehicles. Then there was the production-ready EPU Concept that shows Toyota is aiming to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to making these concepts a reality.
