Jeep Treo concept

The Treo was conceived as a Tokyo Motor Show concept car, meaning that it is more radical than if it were destined for a European or American show, and that it focuses specifically on addressing the needs of tomorrow’s urban dwelling young people.

The Treo is a ‘two plus one’, seating two at the front and one at the rear, and this configuration dictates a cabin plan shape that tapers to the rear. A fuel cell powertrain enables the concept to be freed from many packaging constraints and this combines with the ‘two plus one’ arrangement to drive the unusual proportions central to this vehicle concept.

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Honda Odyssey

The Honda Odyssey is the most significant new production debut at a show dominated by concept cars. The design has the latest evolution of the corporate Honda face now defined by a single upper line for both lights and grille, but it is most interesting for its interior functional design.

The front seats’ H-point is as for a standard passenger car with foot wells similarly low on a thin car like floor. Second row occupants sit slightly higher on a seat that splits, reclines and slides. These second row seats also have squabs that hinge forward to reveal useful storage space and have backs with a section that hinges back to cover the rearmost foot wells of third row occupants and form a flat floor when the seats are folded. Third row seats are marginally higher again, although still with sufficient space to accommodate adults, and fold electrically into the boot floor. All of this is achieved within a length of 4765mm (think Accord) and a height of 1550mm (only 50mm more than a Civic five door).

Low roofed MPV, or tall versatile estate car? The Odyssey serves to show how increasingly blurred vehicular types have become as well as how Honda lead vehicle packaging and interior functional design by an impressive margin.

Mercedes F500 Mind concept

Mercedes refer to the F500 as a ‘research laboratory on wheels’ and as such the focus of the car is on various innovative technical features, not its design. These features include electronic foot pedals which liberate space, and rear doors that can open both forwards and rearwards by using disconnecting hinge mechanisms (similar to recent Renault and Nissan concepts), necessitating an unusual ‘B-pillar’ running to the centre of the roof from between the two front seats.

Although the design is playing a supporting role to the engineering in this concept, it does show a new direction of corporate facial identity for the brand with a broader grille and more upright lights, not so dissimilar to the Vision CLS concept shown at Frankfurt. The car is also a tall fastback estate, similar to the Opel and Jaguar concept cars from Frankfurt, which tends to suggest that this vehicle architecture might soon be on our roads in the premium sector.

Daihatsu UFE-II concept

As a super streamlined, minimalist four seat car, there are similarities with the production Honda Insight and the Honda CMS concept car also debuting at Tokyo, but the UFE-2 (Ultra Fuel Economy 2) has its own distinct character and design.

Particularly in the context of Tokyo, the UFE-2 has a refreshingly simple form, its flip paint emphasizing the elegant, fluid flanks that have a subtle concave surface that develops rearwards and is highlighted by the lamp graphics on the cut off rear tail. This simplicity is a by-product of its form having been dictated as much by the wind tunnel as by designer Hugh Wilson. The drag coefficient of 0.19 is claimed as a new world record.

Nissan Redigo concept

Nissan has a broad range of concept cars at Tokyo and the Redigo is probably the freshest in its design of them all.

This strikingly green colored, compact four seat car has a leisure feel from its SUVesque design language and high seating positions, and from its novel opening roof and B-pillarless design. Redigo’s opening roof is its most remarkable feature, with the sides sliding inwards into the remaining fixed central third of the roof to give a very open cockpit feel when the windows are down.

Sheer surfacing and a simple graphical shape running horizontally on the sides, front and back, and vertically as the lights and interior interfaces for front occupants, gives a distinct and robust feel that further distinguish this impressive concept.

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Subaru B9 Scrambler concept

The B9 Scrambler takes its name and inspiration from the ‘scrambler’ type of motorbike which is a sports motorbike for taking off-road. This is evident in its typical for Subaru four wheel drive powertrain, in its height adjustable air suspension and also in the way its lower body side is painted in tough grey material. This two tone exterior has a strong impact on how you read the design of the car, but there are a lot of other very interesting elements within the exterior.

The car has an unusual but attractive body side section with a surface that follows a small radius upper shoulder, wraps down into a relatively flat surface that moves down but also further out before becoming a larger radius second shoulder. Also interesting are the Scrambler’s shark nose shaped tail, long and thin bonnet blisters and protruding grille mesh within a new Subaru corporate face.

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