It's tough being in the car business these days. So here in a sprawling, multi-building convention centre on the outskirts of Tokyo -- a massive complex only a train ride away from the ancient city of Kyoto where the international treaty aimed at reducing global warming was signed in 1997 -- auto makers are showing a broad mix of stylish high-performance cars boasting gasoline-electric hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell power trains. That's the future, or at least a large part of it.
And it doesn't look uninviting at all, nor unattainable. In fact, many of the concept cars are showcasing environmentally friendly technology from fuel-saving diesel-turbo injection systems to gasoline-electric hybrid power train systems to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, almost all of them dressed up in interesting if not downright stylish bodies.
Take the Lexus LF-Sh. Lexus officials at the show say the big sedan is a concept car, but only an idiot would miss the fact this is, essentially, the next Lexus flagship, the LS due to go on sale next year.
The production car won't be built exactly as shown, but it is fair to assume that 90 per cent of what appears will show up in the sleek-bodied 2007 LS to hit showrooms next year. Apparently Lexus designers like BMW's large 7-Series sedan, because the squared-off tail and general profile hints at the Bimmer.
Full article here