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Tokyo Motor Show 2007 - Highlights
by CDN Team
Nissan Round Box concept
The exterior of the Round Box concept follows the current Japanese trend for concept cars featuring a predominantly square base section, with wheels pushed to the extreme corners and a more rounded upper body and cabin. What sets the Round Box design apart is the way this transition between the two volumes is very nicely resolved, blending a sharply-creased perimeter line that moves gently over the wheels with softly-radiused surfaces in the mid-section of the body, all set off by the bright red body color and black upper glasshouse. Similarly, the front end of the car combines a vertical lower mouth with a short hood and fast-raked screen to produce a very fresh profile that one might imagine could be developed for a successful production design in future.
Exterior details include the simple 3-piece lift-off targa panel roof that can stow in the trunk and headlamps in a stacked arrangement of reflectors with an arched orange DI bridge on the corner crease of the lamp. Other details include taillamps that are hidden in the white frame surrounding the rear window and a lower bumper area that contains all other functional elements within the rear of the car.
The interior is the real highlight of the car: the concept centers on the theme of good communication between passengers, set within a striking white, black and red environment. There is a new 'Catch Ball Display' that allows information and games exchanges between front and rear passengers and beautiful details such as the pinched leaf look to vents and door furniture. The front seats themselves are interesting. The cushion is a squared-off split bench in a white sports fabric with two sculptural perforated seat backs in bright red. On opening the door, the seat base has a large hole whose shape echoes the adjacent portholes in the lower doors.
The exterior of the Round Box concept follows the current Japanese trend for concept cars featuring a predominantly square base section, with wheels pushed to the extreme corners and a more rounded upper body and cabin. What sets the Round Box design apart is the way this transition between the two volumes is very nicely resolved, blending a sharply-creased perimeter line that moves gently over the wheels with softly-radiused surfaces in the mid-section of the body, all set off by the bright red body color and black upper glasshouse. Similarly, the front end of the car combines a vertical lower mouth with a short hood and fast-raked screen to produce a very fresh profile that one might imagine could be developed for a successful production design in future.
Exterior details include the simple 3-piece lift-off targa panel roof that can stow in the trunk and headlamps in a stacked arrangement of reflectors with an arched orange DI bridge on the corner crease of the lamp. Other details include taillamps that are hidden in the white frame surrounding the rear window and a lower bumper area that contains all other functional elements within the rear of the car.
The interior is the real highlight of the car: the concept centers on the theme of good communication between passengers, set within a striking white, black and red environment. There is a new 'Catch Ball Display' that allows information and games exchanges between front and rear passengers and beautiful details such as the pinched leaf look to vents and door furniture. The front seats themselves are interesting. The cushion is a squared-off split bench in a white sports fabric with two sculptural perforated seat backs in bright red. On opening the door, the seat base has a large hole whose shape echoes the adjacent portholes in the lower doors.
Daihatsu Mud Master-C
A great name that sounds like a celebrity DJ or a mud-wrestling champion! The Mud Master-C is a miniature transporter designed in Daihatsu's Tokyo studio and is the first concept from this newly-established design group. Chief designer Taku Iwamura explained to CDN that Daihatsu's production Hi Jet truck with body-on-frame construction could allow such an idea to be feasibly produced in future, using the existing 660cc motor and 4WD system already available. The concept here is for a mobile toolbox that expresses its capability in the robust styling and results in a nice Tonka toy look to this design, helped by the over-short wheelbase and chunky 16" offroad tires.
One particularly successful aspect of the design is the extruded look to the bodysides together with chamfered ends that contain the lamp units front and rear. The clamshell doors of the forward-control cab wrap completely around the headlamps and over into the roof, leaving the lamps on the extremities of the body in front view. The clamshell door theme is repeated for the rear loadbay doors. Here, three gullwing doors in the rear bodysides allow maximum utility, with the side doors even having clear lens portholes on the corners to allow closing over the rear taillamps and a minimal structural pillar on the inside.
Hub reduction gears in the wheels allow a 100mm increase in ride height and combine with the generous ramp angles front and rear to provide fantastic mobility in tight mountainous areas that larger vehicles cannot access. Shown here as a support vehicle for a mountain bike racer, the Mud Master-C can be fitted with attachments for marine or snow sports, agricultural, forestry work or disaster-area relief missions, for example.
A great name that sounds like a celebrity DJ or a mud-wrestling champion! The Mud Master-C is a miniature transporter designed in Daihatsu's Tokyo studio and is the first concept from this newly-established design group. Chief designer Taku Iwamura explained to CDN that Daihatsu's production Hi Jet truck with body-on-frame construction could allow such an idea to be feasibly produced in future, using the existing 660cc motor and 4WD system already available. The concept here is for a mobile toolbox that expresses its capability in the robust styling and results in a nice Tonka toy look to this design, helped by the over-short wheelbase and chunky 16" offroad tires.
One particularly successful aspect of the design is the extruded look to the bodysides together with chamfered ends that contain the lamp units front and rear. The clamshell doors of the forward-control cab wrap completely around the headlamps and over into the roof, leaving the lamps on the extremities of the body in front view. The clamshell door theme is repeated for the rear loadbay doors. Here, three gullwing doors in the rear bodysides allow maximum utility, with the side doors even having clear lens portholes on the corners to allow closing over the rear taillamps and a minimal structural pillar on the inside.
Hub reduction gears in the wheels allow a 100mm increase in ride height and combine with the generous ramp angles front and rear to provide fantastic mobility in tight mountainous areas that larger vehicles cannot access. Shown here as a support vehicle for a mountain bike racer, the Mud Master-C can be fitted with attachments for marine or snow sports, agricultural, forestry work or disaster-area relief missions, for example.
Suzuki X-Head concept
Similar in many ways to the Daihatsu above, the X-Head is a compact truck from Suzuki's advanced design group in Yokohama. Designers Takashi Hayashida and Hijiri Tsukahara have produced a miniature 3.8m pick-up with a very product-design look and, like the Toyota Hi-CT, it resembles a baby version of a much larger commercial vehicle - in this case the Mercedes Unimog. The upright A-pillars, wrap-around DLO, stubby hood, chamfered corners and falling beltline are all characteristic elements, as are the flat-topped wheelarches. The nose is a particularly successful area of the design, with the bold grey graphics and stacked LED lamps combining to produce a powerful and fresh down-road graphic that suits both the concept and scale of the vehicle.
Shown here as a transporter for two Minimoto trailbikes, the X-Head has some nice features such as the bodysides that drop down to reveal storage lockers for race helmets and protection gear, a powered drop-down step in the lower door area and similarly powered tailboard. The silver loadbed side frames are perhaps less successful: the rectangular sections and straight lines appear somewhat wooden by comparison with the rest of the design.
The interior continues the geometric theme from the exterior. The IP is a simple octagonal section across the cab, and the seat cushion and back are similarly shaped as a pair of hexagonal pads. This motif is also used for face vents, roof and floor textures and, in diluted form, for the steering wheel. Also on display were a series of 1/5 scale proposals for alternative load-bed units such as a rigid cover for the pick-up, a camper van and rescue vehicle.
Similar in many ways to the Daihatsu above, the X-Head is a compact truck from Suzuki's advanced design group in Yokohama. Designers Takashi Hayashida and Hijiri Tsukahara have produced a miniature 3.8m pick-up with a very product-design look and, like the Toyota Hi-CT, it resembles a baby version of a much larger commercial vehicle - in this case the Mercedes Unimog. The upright A-pillars, wrap-around DLO, stubby hood, chamfered corners and falling beltline are all characteristic elements, as are the flat-topped wheelarches. The nose is a particularly successful area of the design, with the bold grey graphics and stacked LED lamps combining to produce a powerful and fresh down-road graphic that suits both the concept and scale of the vehicle.
Shown here as a transporter for two Minimoto trailbikes, the X-Head has some nice features such as the bodysides that drop down to reveal storage lockers for race helmets and protection gear, a powered drop-down step in the lower door area and similarly powered tailboard. The silver loadbed side frames are perhaps less successful: the rectangular sections and straight lines appear somewhat wooden by comparison with the rest of the design.
The interior continues the geometric theme from the exterior. The IP is a simple octagonal section across the cab, and the seat cushion and back are similarly shaped as a pair of hexagonal pads. This motif is also used for face vents, roof and floor textures and, in diluted form, for the steering wheel. Also on display were a series of 1/5 scale proposals for alternative load-bed units such as a rigid cover for the pick-up, a camper van and rescue vehicle.
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