Tokyo show: VW grows up

Japan may be the land of the miniature solution, but VW's up! Concept has grown for its visit to Tokyo.

This is the space up, minivan version of Volkswagen's baby city car we saw back in Frankfurt. Unveiled at the Tokyo show, it sits on a longer wheelbase than its three-door sister, and has grown in length by 23cm and height by 40cm.

However, the space up! (anyone else hating that name already?) is still 15cm shorter than the VW Fox - seriously dinky for a four-seater.

The clean lines (or contrived retroism, depending on your point of view) of the styling remain similar to the original up!, and the engine is still strung out at the rear. VW is still touting the flexibility of the concept, and reckons it could be powered by a petrol, diesel or electric motor.

Insiders reckon we could see two- and three-cylinder engines powering the production up!, depending on the market: expect China and India to get the most frugal, low-cost versions, while Europe could see higher-powered variants.

VW has promised yet another up! concept at the Detroit show early next year. We're not expecting a coupe-convertible, but in this crazy world of lower-case proper nouns and unexpected exclamation marks, anything could happen.

2007 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Subaru Exiga

TOKYO — Subaru's Exiga concept for the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show is a new seven-passenger "proposal" that appears to combine design elements from the company's midsize Legacy station wagon and Forester crossover vehicle — and it looks virtually showroom-ready.

The Exiga shares a number of mechanical elements with its siblings, too, including a turbocharged 2.0-liter flat-4 engine, five-speed automatic transmission and Subaru's symmetrical all-wheel drive.

The vehicle also boasts a supersize panoramic glass roof and theater-style seating, with rear passengers sitting a little higher than those in front. Seats are upholstered in leather and trimmed in pearl white and blue. The rear seatbacks incorporate fold-down tray tables, similar to those on airplanes.

What this means to you: This people-friendly family hauler looks much more attractive than anything Subaru has on the road today.

2007 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Mitsubishi Concept-ZT

TOKYO — One look at Mitsubishi's unimaginative Concept-ZT should convince any doubters that this Japanese automaker just doesn't design great sedans. Under the skin, it's a different story.

The Concept-ZT is slightly larger than the Galant, but its bland styling hardly justifies its positioning by Mitsubishi as a "premier sedan." Of considerable interest to techies, however, is the car's aluminum space-frame construction and use of high-strength recyclable plastic for the hood, fenders, doors and deck lid. The Concept-ZT also employs "green" plastic throughout the cabin, which — fortunately — is also trimmed in wood, metal and leather.

Powering the car is a new DOHC 2.2-liter four-cylinder "clean diesel" mated to the new twin-clutch SST gearbox that is also featured in the redesigned Evo. The engine makes 188 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and drives all four wheels through Mitsubishi's sophisticated S-AWC system. The Concept-ZT rides on alloy wheels shod with 255/35R20 tires.


What this means to you: It's not much to look at, but the tech features in the Concept-ZT could make your future car cleaner, safer and more environmentally friendly.

2007 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Suzuki Kizashi 2

TOKYO — Suzuki next week will pull the wraps off the Kizashi 2, a follow-up to the similarly named Frankfurt concept.

Described as a "crossover sports wagon," the midsize Kizashi 2 rides on 22-inch wheels and tires. It is powered by a DOHC 3.6-liter V6 mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. The current production version of that engine, which is used in the XL7 utility vehicle, delivers 252 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. Suzuki says the Kizashi 2 is also designed to accommodate a hybrid powertrain.

The automaker has released few other details on the vehicle, but the Kizashi concept is widely seen in Japan as the precursor of a new midsize vehicle family that eventually will replace the Daewoo-derived Verona.

What this means to you: Look for the future production version of the Kizashi to make its way across the Pacific, possibly in 2009.