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CDN thought the Toyota i-Swing was one of the landmark vehicles of the 2005 Tokyo show so it's good to see other makers expand on this 1-person mobility idea that is uniquely suited to Japan. Here we see Suzuki's answer: The PIXY is a low-speed urban mover - a covered version of the i-Swing with four wheels and porthole windows in the sides. Design-wise it's not nearly as good as Toyota's original: the front wheels are fakes [the actual wheels are simple castors found in any hardware store] and the articulation of the roof canopy and ramp seems unduly complicated for the questionable benefits to be gained.
The base module SSC [Suzuki Sharing Coach] is a minicar-based mobility unit that can carry two PIXYs in tandem, with its double tailgate, ramps and drive-through capability. There's a kind of 'Thunderbirds' appeal to this mothership-plus-pod concept that's initially appealing, yet the execution is lacking in design sophistication and credibility despite, apparently, support from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Next-Generation Vehicle and Fuel Initiative, which aims to deliver personal, shareable urban transport. Design-wise, the SSC has a symmetrical hexagon theme in side profile, with big gullwing opening side doors and lightly-chamfered ends containing vertical slotted portholes. The direction of travel is indicated by varying illumination of the horizontal slots above the tiny wheels from red to white. Power comes from hydrogen and sunlight and solar energy can be used to fast charge the capacitors in the PIXYs.
Ironically, the 2nd press day at Tokyo is a 'special guest day' that provides access for many wheelchair-bound visitors, yet one detected a distinct lack of enthusiasm to this concept from many of them when seeing the presentation - possibly the ultimate verdict.
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Design Review: Toyota i-swing concept
The GT-R has long been an iconic car in Japan and its appeal has spread, largely as a result of starring in Sony's Playstation 'Gran Turismo' games and movies such as '2 Fast 2 Furious'. In many ways, it's Japan's Mustang. And the best news is that this latest all-new GT-R, shown in concept form at Goodwood this summer, is destined for worldwide sales, unlike previous GT-R series, although the starting price in Japan is 7.7 million yen, or a stiff $67,000.
That high price tag is justified in several ways. Technically, the car uses a sophisticated independent transaxle 4WD system with the dual-clutch transmission, transfer case and final drive at the rear giving superb weight balance and a front midship location for the hand-finished 480ps twin turbo 3.8liter V6 engine. Then there's the body construction, using a combination of steel, carbon fiber and aluminium parts that is said to allow crisp edges and better aerodynamic performance, although the overall impression is one of a slight stiffness and heaviness to the design that is at odds with its Hi-Tech underpinnings.
The cabin profile features a wrap-around screen and dropping side DLO that ends with a series of creases into the C-pillar and a slightly heavy-looking roof. The pronounced front fender boxes with extraction vents in the rear surface are beautifully modelled yet there is a mismatch to the softer character of the front end, particularly the front corners with the sculpted aeroblades and more rounded plan shape. The front face has a distinctive black gumshield infill in the rectangular mouth though this aperture, like the headlamps and hood scoops, is largely graphical rather than sculpted in 3D. At the rear, there's the typical signature four-ring taillamps, four massive exhausts and a big spoiler. Despite our mild criticisms, the GT-R has never been about visual sophistication and to judge it on this alone is to miss the point: the new GT-R is a must-have addition to any wealthy enthusiast's car collection.
This is the third version of a new CR-X successor that Honda have shown lately and is much closer to production-ready in style than the Remix or Hybrid Sports concepts shown earlier. The idea is straightforward: a lightweight hybrid sports car that offers great driving dynamics with clean performance, rather than the miserly approach of the unsuccessful Insight sold a few years ago. The side profile is characterised by a deeply diving beltline into the front fender, with an accompanying lightly twisting shoulder line that peaks directly over the rear wheel before falling to the sharp point of the tail lamp. The shallow DLO echoes the second-generation CR-X of some twenty years ago, as does the vertical glass in the big tailgate at the rear.
The nose features a deeply recessed grille with three horizontal blades and slim LED marker lamps in the lower chin blade beneath the side vents. To some eyes, there's an element of Volvo about this snout treatment, yet it is cohesive and identifiable as a sporty Honda and can be seen as a development of both the S2000 and Hybrid Sports concept seen at Geneva this year. There's some subtle surfacing up close too: note the way that the upper crease line from the top corner of the grille fades out and is imperceptibly replaced by a second crease that sweeps up into the A-pillar.
The black and white interior has an innovative mesh and frame theme. CR-X owners will recognise the moulded form to the seats but the actual shape here is made of a double-layered black mesh fabric, without any apparent structural frame. The same black mesh is used for the tiny 1-mile rear seats, the main IP surface and the seat pockets. Illuminated blue acrylic inserts are used as a contrast material throughout the cabin.
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Honda Small Hybrid Sports - Geneva 2007
Honda Remix - Los Angeles 2006
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