It looks like the retro-styled N Concept 4 city car won't be the only Honda study displayed at this month's Tokyo Motor Show that will end up going into production as the Japanese carmaker's CEO Takanobu Ito told German magazine Auto Motor und Sport that the open-top EV-STER has also received the green light. The Honda boss revealed that the battery-powered, rear-wheel drive roadster could arrive in the market as early as 2012, adding that the company may also introduce more conventional version with a classic gasoline engine, without offering any more details. However, it's only reasonable to assume that the gasoline model would be a hybrid matching an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. At 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.), the tiny concept is marginally larger than Honda's 1990s mid-engined kei car, the Beat. In conceptual form, the two-seater features an electric motor that draws energy from a 10kWh lithium-ion battery and powers the rear wheels. Honda said that the EV-STER could complete the zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint in 5 seconds flat and reach a maximum speed of 160km/h (100mph). The Japanese automaker also claims a driving range of around 160 kilometers (100 miles) and a charging time of under 3 hours using a 200V source and in less than 6 hours with a 100V source.
VIDEO: Tokyo Motor Show 2011: Honda EV-STER, World Premiere
It looks like the retro-styled N Concept 4 city car won't be the only Honda study displayed at this month's Tokyo Motor Show that will end up going into production as the Japanese carmaker's CEO Takanobu Ito told German magazine Auto Motor und Sportthat the open-top EV-STER has also received the green light.
The Honda boss revealed that the battery-powered, rear-wheel drive roadster could arrive in the market as early as 2012, adding that the company may also introduce more conventional version with a classic gasoline engine, without offering any more details.
However, it's only reasonable to assume that the gasoline model would be a hybrid matching an internal combustion engine with an electric motor.
At 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.), the tiny concept is marginally larger than Honda's 1990s mid-engined kei car, the Beat.
Some of the more intriguing new cars displayed at Japan's biggest motor show. The Tokyo motor show always offers up a range of interesting concepts, but it's also home to its share of the more intriguing inventions of the automotive world. From pod-like runabouts that are due to be mass produced in the next six months through to wacky eight-wheeled sports limos, the Japanese sure have a way of creating cars that make you look - and in some cases, look away. For example, what do you get when a pharmaceutical and electro-optronics company gets together with a robot maker? These cute little Kobots.
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Toyota Auto Body Coms concept cars
The P-Com and B-Com are electric commuter vehicles produced by Toyota's aftermarket accessories company. Top speed is 60km/h, range is 50km, recharges in five hours. Due to launch in mid-2012.
The Pokemon on wheels are collapsible so you can fit them in tight spots and they can turn sharply to avoid pedestrians. Once the driver reaches the destination, they can use their smart phone as a remote control to collapse them into a more manageable size. The Kobots are also designed to talk to each other and can use satellite navigation to pick up car-sharing partners. They're designed to be picked up and left in parking stations on the perimeter of a future CBD that doesn't allow cars. The commuter drives their own car to the perimeter of the city and then picks up a Kobot for the rest of the journey. The Japanese start-up company's sales blurb says: "Our concept vehicles come from the urban-planning initiatives being undertaken in European cities including London and Paris. These enviro-friendly programs shut out regular car traffic from city centres and tourist areas by providing parking lots in the peripheries. Small electric mobility vehicles are all the rage with Japanese car makers at the moment, but the dawn of the EV is also encouraging other companies with battery and electronics expertise to try their hand at city runabouts. Car makers are also working on city-friendly mobility vehcies. Toyota offshoot Toyota Auto Body is looking to launch two mobility vehicles in the middle of next year.
The P-Com and B-Com are electric single-seat commuters with a top speed of 60km/h, a range of 50km, and a recharging time of 5 hours. You can add a delivery box on to the back of them for courier applications.
One of Honda's less publicized world premieres at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show could well very turn out to be the most interesting. We're talking about the new N Concept 4 which is a follow up to the EV-N study that was displayed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The new N Concept 4 has not only veered closer to production in styling but it will actually go on sale next year. The announcement was made by Sho Minekawa, who is the Managing Officer and CEO for Honda Regional Sales Operations in Japan, during the company's presentation in Tokyo. "As a part of the N Series, a new model based on N Concept 3 will be introduced to the market in spring 2012, followed by the introduction of another model based on N Concept 4 in fall 2012," said Minekawa. "With that, we will strive to increase our mini-vehicle sales to 280,000 units, which would double the sales of 2011," he added. The N Concept 4 will be based on the running gear of Honda's new Kei-class N Box tall city car, which also made its world premiere in Tokyo but more on that later. It's still too early to know Honda's exact sales plan, but like the model that inspired its creation, the 1967-1972 N360, the production version of the N Concept 4 will probably be a global mini – which kind of makes sense if Honda want's to double its mini car sales. Compared to the 2009 EN-V study, the new concept has grown in size and obtained another set of doors while Honda's designers also refined the car's styling.
Toyota considering Supra successor and sub - 86 sports car
Toyota is flush with buzz surrounding the company's new 86 sports car, and that could translate into additional performance models if the vehicle's chief engineer has anything to say about it. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Tetsuya Tada, the mind that brought the Toyota 86 to life, believes there's room in the stable for two additional sports cars. Tada is quoted as saying that while the 86 is a mid-sized sports car, he'd like to see one vehicle positioned below the boxer-powered coupe as well as an additional model slotted higher in the lineup.
The latter machine could potentially be a successor to the Supra, complete with a high-horsepower engine and rear wheel drive. Like the 86, that vehicle would be another collaborative project between Toyota and Subaru. Unfortunately, Tada is quick to say that nothing has been decided as of yet. Keep your fingers crossed.
One of Honda's less publicized world premieres at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show could well very turn out to be the most interesting. We're talking about the new N Concept 4 which is a follow up to the EV-N study that was displayed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The new N Concept 4 has not only veered closer to production in styling but it will actually go on sale next year. The announcement was made by Sho Minekawa, who is the Managing Officer and CEO for Honda Regional Sales Operations in Japan, during the company's presentation in Tokyo. "As a part of the N Series, a new model based on N Concept 3 will be introduced to the market in spring 2012, followed by the introduction of another model based on N Concept 4 in fall 2012," said Minekawa. "With that, we will strive to increase our mini-vehicle sales to 280,000 units, which would double the sales of 2011," he added. The N Concept 4 will be based on the running gear of Honda's new Kei-class N Box tall city car, which also made its world premiere in Tokyo but more on that later. It's still too early to know Honda's exact sales plan, but like the model that inspired its creation, the 1967-1972 N360, the production version of the N Concept 4 will probably be a global mini – which kind of makes sense if Honda want's to double its mini car sales. Compared to the 2009 EN-V study, the new concept has grown in size and obtained another set of doors while Honda's designers also refined the car's styling.
However, it's only reasonable to assume that the gasoline model would be a hybrid matching an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. 
