Autoblog UK

At the IAA in Frankfurt, Honda were prominent by their absence. Now, at the Tokyo Motor Show, the Japanese carmaker seems determined to compensate in full. They have the biggest stand of all the exhibitors and have filled it up with an array of design studies that are brimful of new ideas, albeit eccentric in part. One of the design highlights of the show is bound to be the Honda Skydeck Concept. This futuristic, airily named family van is clearly a long way removed from being a production-ready vehicle, yet it arouses more than just passing interest. With its windscreen blending into a glass roof, driver and passengers have an impression of unconstrained freedom. The seating too has been designed with leisure in mind. The front doors open upwards and the rear doors slide backwards. In other words, they're doors, Jim, but not as we know them. There is no B-pillar to impede ingress. And if you prefer to sit in the third row, you can push the second bench under the front seat. Under the bonnet, a hybrid PLUS engine provides an eco-friendly drive.

Visitors to the Tokyo Motor Show can admire a prototype of the Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car that is claimed to be ready for series production, though whether this gleaming white vision ever makes it onto the road is anyone's guess. For the present, at least, Honda are once again showcasing the sporty hybrid model just as a design study. So will they or won't they? Honda have the biggest stand of all the manufacturers exhibiting at the Tokyo Motor Show. It would be a pity if they were merely using the CR-Z to fill up what would otherwise have been an empty space.

The car being launched at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Nissan Fuga will be arriving in Europe as the Infiniti M. There is a very simple reason for this: Nissan's high-end Infiniti marque is unknown on the Japanese market. But it is only on closer inspection that you detect European aspects to the new Fuga flagship model. This five-metre-long saloon vehicle, available either with six-cylinder engine or hybrid drive, is bound to be a highlight of the show. Once again, the reason is simple: because all foreign manufacturers with the exception of niche constructors Lotus and Caterham (UK) and BMW tuner Alpina have decided to sit this one out, the Japanese have virtually no competition at the show. Never before have they had such an easy home fixture.

Subaru are unveiling a gull-winged car called 'Hybrid Tourer Concept' at the Tokyo Motor Show. This vehicle features two electric motors and a 2.0-litre direct-injected flat-four horizontally opposed engine, which permanently power all four wheels via a new Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) drive train. The 4.63-metre concept car has two gull wing doors, giving access to both rows of seats. There are no B-pillars. Extremely narrow A-pillars provide for a greenhouse-like expanse of glass. Chunky C-pillars emphasise the rear three-quarter.

Lexus unveiled a world first at the Frankfurt Motor Show: a full-hybrid premium compact model. According to the Japanese upmarket constructor, the Lexus Future Concept hybrid (LF-Ch for short) lays down a clear marker concerning their resolve to get a foothold in the European compact segment. Up to now, Lexus have been active only in the US market with an extensively modified Toyota Prius. The LF-Ch, which appeared in Frankfurt only as a prototype, offers clear insight into the direction that Lexus design will be taking in the future.

Another step forward into the future? At the IAA, Toyota launched a new design of the veteran hybrid, the Prius – that symbol of clean mobility for people, who, in their worst nightmares are hunted down by SUVs high on bhp through the sooty canyons of big cities turned upside down by climate change. But the Prius in this plug-in hybrid study wasn't just tarted up with the additional virtues of a thoroughbred e-car for those poor souls.

A newly developed, high performance lithium ion battery lies at the heart of this concept car. In an ideal situation, it should take at most just 90 minutes to recharge it and endow this Japanese saviour of the environment with a range of up to 20 kilometres in full-electric mode. So you can use the Prius for short journeys simply as an e-car and change over to hybrid mode only when the need arises. CO2 emissions are reduced to 60 grammes per kilometre. But for the moment, this latest eco warrior is not for sale. 150 Prius Plug-ins are to be evaluated in Europe but will be leased only to fleet customers.

Hyundai will have a number of eco-concept cars on show at their stand during the IAA in Frankfurt. The ix-Metro, a small, hybrid concept car, is set to debut in Frankfurt. According to Hyundai, it will emit less than 80g/km of CO2. An electric powered version of the i10 will also be on show. The i10 Electric will see limited series production in early 2010. In addition, two other Blue Drive vehicles will enjoy their European debut. They were premiered in April 2009 at the Seoul Motor Show: the Elantra LPI Hybrid and the Blue Will alias HND-4. Of course, the successor to the Tucson will also be present. The ix35 will surely become a hit, as it has already enjoyed success in Korea.

The much heralded electrically powered Volt is intended to bring about an upturn in the fortunes of the insolvent General Motors corporation. With this low-emission family car, GM hope to set a fashion that will catch on both inside and outside the USA and also, of course, make pots of money. The sister model of the Opel Ampera is due to go on sale next year. It covers the first 40 miles (64km) of any trip purely on power supplied by a lithium ion battery. At this point, a 1.4-litre petrol engine kicks in to recharge the battery as the car drives along. General Motors have based the fuel consumption figures for the Volt on a method agreed with the American EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), according to which the Chevy Volt does 230 miles to the US gallon (3.785 litres) on the urban cycle.

While the automotive market is shrinking in general in the USA, the new generation of the Toyota Prius hybrid seems to be a success. As soon as it was launched, customers were already faced with waiting for a year for delivery of their vehicle. According to the "New York Times", the manufacturer is therefore considering extending manufacturing capacity.

The Prius plant in Japan is already running at maximum output, but can only manufacture 50,000 vehicles per month. In Japan alone, 111,000 units were sold in May and the company is estimating a demand for 200,000 Prius cars per annum for the USA, with a global demand of 400,000. If this boom in turnover continues, it could be that Toyota reconsiders its plans for opening a hybrid plant in the U.S. after having shelved them because of the economic downturn.

Summer 2009 will see the new Peugeot 3008 arriving at dealers. Citroën describes its vehicle as a blend of variable van, sporty SUV and classic saloon. The cheapest version of the 3008 will cost 21,500 euros and is the 1.6 litre VTi petrol engine with 120 bhp. With its 5-speed gearbox, this engine is within the EU5 emission limits and in fact PSA Peugeot Citroën is already preparing its plants at Mulhouse and Sochaux for series hybrid diesel drive construction. At Sochaux, the first Peugeot 3008 prototypes have been constructed with the so-called "Hybrid4" technology. This involves a diesel engine in the bonnet and an electric motor positioned on the rear axle. The Peugeot 3008 is supposed to be ready as a hybrid by 2011.