Kief Cars

The Japanese Auto Manufacturer Honda has unveiled the Honda EV-N Concept ahead of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show (later this month). This retro-styled electric car looks like something out of the 1960s, in my opinion. Honda are keeping some secrets at this stage. They have not released details about the motor and battery that will be fitted in this vehicle. A U3-X Segway-like unicycle is smartly strapped to the passenger door. One could easily mistake this for a hardcore speaker system. The Honda EV-N Concept will be part of the HELLO display for Honda at the 2009 Tokyo Motor show. This exhibit will showcase Honda products that could be part of a low-carbon society of the distant future. The Honda EV-N Concept is also fitted with a solar roof panel. This 4 seater car pays homage to the Honda N360s and N600s of the 1960s and 1970s. I will probably not be buying a car like this in the nearby future. There is no clarity if this car will be introduced in South Africa and there is no indication whether Honda will be making this part of their production line-up.

The Tokyo Motor Show is held every 2 yrs at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, Japan. Cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles and plant and machinery equipment is on show at this exhibition. The Tokyo Motor Show is hosted by the JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association) and it’s also recognized as an international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles. The Auto Press see the Tokyo Motor Show as one of the big motor shows on the planet. The other four are held at Detroit (USA), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany) and Geneva (Switzerland). The Tokyo Motor usually features more concept cars than actual production car introductions. This year’s exhibition will be held from 21 October – 4 November. The Tokyo Motor Show will only be open to the public from 24 October. 21 and 22 October are press days and 23 October is a trade day. This will be the 41th Tokyo Motor Show since the first one was held in 1954.

Hyundai has withdrawn from the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The American Detroit manufacturers also withdrew earlier in the year which will make this years show a bit smaller than last year’s show. The 40th Tokyo Motor Show in 2007 had 1,425,800 visitors and 246 Exhibitors displayed their products.

The Following Cars are expected to be displayed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show:

• Honda CR-Z pre-production concept
• Honda EV-N concept
• Honda Skydeck concept
• Lexus LF-A
• Mazda Kiyora Concept
• Nissan GT-R
• Nissan R.D:B.X Concept
• Mitsubishi i MiEV Cargo
• Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept
• Subaru Exiga 2.0T STI
• Subaru Impreza WRX STI Carbon
• Suzuki Swift Plug-in Hybrid concept

It’s sad that South Africa does not have a motoring show / exhibition of this magnitude. A show like this attracts thousands of visitors and could mean a nice boost to the local economy. In my opinion, it’s high time for South Africa gets its own motor show.

Honda has provided a sneak preview to the Honda CR-Z sports car. This alternate fuel concept car will make its debut as a prototype at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. The car’s styling is inspired by the original Honda CRX. The Honda CR-Z concept was first introduced in 2007, the concept’s lines have not changed much since then. The car is expected to go on sale in Japan by February / March 2010. The Honda CR-Z was introduced with a 6-speed manual gearbox which is likely to make it to the final production version. It’s expected that the Honda CR-Z will reach 0 – 100 km/h in about 9 seconds. According to the Japanese Auto Maker, the Honda CR-Z is 95% production ready. The final production version of the Honda CR-Z will be introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in early 2010. It’s highly unlikely for this car to be released in South Africa, but who knows? Honda is quite a popular brand in South Africa, so they might release it over here.

In 2001 Peugeot introduced the radical Peugeot Moonster Concept. The talents behind this project were found via an internet design competition. People were asked to submit design sketches via the French Auto Maker’s website. The designs were narrowed down from 750 to 50. An online vote was then cast to find out which design users / enthusiasts found the most appealing. Marko Lukovic (from Yugoslavia) won with this design. The Peugeot Moonster Concept was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The car’s design was presented in fluid form. No engine, transmission or suspension systems were in place. The Peugeot Moonster Concept was hand-formed from sheet aluminum and polished to perfection. This resulted in the most reflective car to date. All praise to Peugeot for the type of competition they set up. Peugeot handed over complete creative feedom to the designer and also embraced the internet to seek out talented designs. Quite impressive if you ask me. This will probably not be built or seen on roads in South Africa, but a man can still dream.

Land Rover first introduced the Land Rover LRX as a concept vehicle in 2008 at the Detroit Auto Show (almost 2 years ago). At the time of the concept’s debut it was unsure whether Land Rover would actually make the Land Rover LRX part of it’s range of production models. Land Rover have recently confirmed that this vehicle will be going into production as a 2011 model. It has been described as “the smallest, lightest and most efficient vehicle the company has ever produced”. It’s still remains to be seen whether Land Rover will introduce a hybrid version of the Land Rover LRX. 4×4 vehicles have become highly criticized by environmental groups amid concerns about global warming in recent times. It’s expected that Land Rover will release the LRX as a 2 door crossover vehicle. Not much has been said about the engine and transmission that will be fitted in this vehicle. It appears as if the Land Rover LRX is based on the Land Rover Freelander’s underneath. Land Rover are not saying much about the Land Rover LRX Production version at the moment. It’s not clear if this vehicle will be released in South Africa (my home country).