tokyo

Revolutionary: Mazda's rotary-engine hybrid-hydrogen Premacy

With the barrage of hybrid cars announced at Frankfurt and the focus on electric drive trains, hydrogen has taken a break from the alternative-fuels limelight of late. But Mazda is bringing H2 back into focus with the launch of a new hydrogen model at this month's Tokyo auto show. The Premacy Hydrogen RE (essentially a modified Mazda5) makes use of a transversely mounted hydrogen/gasoline rotary engine similar to that in the automaker's RX8 Hydrogen RE.

Like the BMW Hydrogen 7, the Premacy Hydrogen RE burns its hydrogen in its combustion engine; unlike the BMW, it then converts … Read more

Honda to show off hybrid sports car, fuel cell vehicles

Honda, which has stumbled in hybrids compared with rival Toyota, will try to regain its footing later this month when it shows off a hybrid sports car at the Tokyo Auto Show.

The CR-Z, which stands for Concept Renaissance Zero, is a lightweight sports car based on a hybrid system developed by Honda. The company will also display the Puyo, a fuel cell car designed as an economy car. Economy car and hydrogen are now kind of a misnomer. Hydrogen cars cost about $1 million to make at the moment. Still, in a decade or two, hydrogen proponents say the … Read more

A giant 3D screen for simulating houses, cities

TOKYO--It's as big as 3D gets.

The Cyberdome is an 8.5-meter-high hemisphere-shaped screen for 3D computer images at the National Center, a technological showcase for National (a subsidiary of Matsushita) in the Shiodome area of Tokyo. At that size, it's one of the biggest computer screens in the world, according to National. I wanted to get a picture of it, but it wouldn't fit into the viewfinder of my camera.

It's also got a track ball the size of a crenshaw melon. (see picture). The system is driven by 19 PCs and 18 projectors. (That'… Read more

Nissan announces Pivo 2, four other premieres for Tokyo auto show

This odd-looking pod-on-wheels, a concept car from Nissan, will be on display at the 2007 Tokyo auto show. Pivo 2 was designed as an urban car, with excellent maneuverability and an electric drive. The chassis of the car doesn't have a front or back--instead, the pod revolves, letting the driver face whichever direction needs to be front. No more 238-point turns as you try to get out of a cul-de-sac. For parking flexibility, all of the wheels can turn 90 degrees, so the car can parallel park by sliding sideways into a spot. We definitely need one of these … Read more

Suzuki previews its Tokyo auto show lineup

Following on the heels of Mitsubishi, Suzuki published pictures and descriptions of its lineup for the upcoming 2007 Tokyo auto show. The Suzuki lineup shows off some very interesting concepts and some minicars unique to Asian markets. Better yet, about half of its entries are motorcycles, emphasizing that the Tokyo auto show devotes a significant amount of floor space to new motorcycles and concepts.

On October 24, CNET Car Tech will begin reporting on the 2007 Tokyo auto show, on the Car Tech blog.

Click here for photos of Suzuki's Tokyo auto show lineup

Mitsubishi leaves nothing to the imagination

While other automakers only tease us with cryptic press releases and sketches of what they'll display at upcoming auto shows, Mitsubishi went ahead and laid it all on the line for the upcoming 2007 Tokyo auto show. The company, which has been doing some very impressive things in the realm of car technology, sent out a release with full details on its show cars. Amongst its lineup is an electric car, a crossover, and a new sedan.

i MiEV Sport Mitsubishi has been developing electric vehicles for some time--we've seen the company's work with in-wheel motors at … Read more

More details on the Dual Shock 3 PS3 controller

The official announcement of the vibration-enabled Dual Shock 3 controller for the PlayStation 3 was the biggest news from Sony's otherwise lackluster Tokyo Game Show keynote address. Since the broad strokes of the original announcement, GameSpot was able to glean some additional details on the new controller--and get some hands-on testing of the unit as well. Here's what they found: … Read more

PS3 rumble controller now official

One of gamers' biggest beefs with the PlayStation 3 will soon be a thing of the past. At the kickoff press conference for the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai confirmed longstanding rumors that a rumble-ized version of the PS3 Sixaxis controller is on the way. The Dual Shock 3--which looks essentially identical to the existing Sixaxis PS3 controller--will hit Japan in November, then make its way to North America and Europe early in 2008. Devil May Cry 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 are two of the first 11 games that will support the new Dual Shock's vibration function, and existing titles can be retroactively updated to support rumble via online updates.

Other notable announcements from Hirai's keynote:… Read more

A peek at Tokyo's sewer system

I came across these interesting pictures from New Launches today that I thought were really neat. These photos were taken inside the Tokyo sewer system and look nothing like the sewers we have around here. As far as I can tell, these aren't mock-ups nor was Photoshop used. So take a look and feast your eyes on one serious sewer system.

Hitotoki.org: A different kind of Tokyo import

The Japanese word hitotoki is defined as "a single moment; one's moment; a point in time." That is, understandably, the central concept behind Hitotoki.org, a site that has devoted itself to user-contributed "short narratives describing pivotal moments of elation, confusion, absurdity, love or grief--or anything in between--inseparably tied to a specific place" in Tokyo. The site is now in the pre-launch process of creating a New York-centric version, and is calling on writers of all stripes to contribute through the end of August in anticipation of a September debut.

You can consider Hitotoki to … Read more