FOCUS: Classic Spirit Drives Japanese Future Car at Japan Mobility Show

By Toshifumi Sekitsuka Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–At the Japan Mobility Show 2025, the country’s auto industry displayed a tendency to take advantage of the reviving popularity of cars that made Japanese youngsters’ hearts race decades ago by incorporating memories of those cars into vehicles of tomorrow. This year, the biennial mobility exhibition, held at Tokyo Big Sight between Oct. 30 and Sunday, attracted visitors with not only futuristic vehicles but epoch-making Japanese cars from the postwar and high-growth periods in the country. At the Time Slip Garage section, set up by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the organizer of the show, a 44-year-old visitor from Pennsylvania smiled at rows of vintage models, such as Nissan Motor Co.’s Prince Skyline 2000GT and Honda Motor Co.’s Civic CVCC. “It feels like heaven,” he said. Japanese cars from the 1970s to the 1990s are now a “big culture” in the United States, with their popularity ignited by the “Fast and Furious” car action movie series featuring many high-performing models, including Toyota Motor Corp’s Supra, Nissan’s Skyline GT-R and Mazda Motor Corp.’s RX-7, according to the car guy. Japanese automakers are making the most of this “affection for the past” to bring back customers while continuing their technical innovations. At a press conference held at company booth ahead of the public opening of the show, Subaru Corp. President and CEO Atsushi Osaki spoke in front of the 1983 Subaru GL Family Huckster. This model, built on the Subaru GL Wagon, known as the Leone Touring Wagon in Japan, by Subaru of America Inc.’s motorsports division produces 862 horsepower and is equipped with numerous racing parts. “Subaru moves hearts, connects past and present and links Japan with the world to create new value,” Osaki said. The company offered world premieres of the Performance-E and -B STI concepts, electric and gasoline models, respectively, both inspired by its motorsport heritage. The electric version uses a component made of upcycled carbon from Subaru’s aerospace business. “We receive many voices calling for historical models,” a company official said. “Although classic car projects are hard to realize, we are reinterpreting our history so we can make use of the values of our heritage.” Daihatsu Motor Co. put on display the Midget X concept along with its 1950s original, which the company calls “Daihatsumei” (great invention), a theme highlighting its collection of uniquely designed models. “The idea was to express warmth, closeness and attachment,” echoing the company’s image as “a brand close to customers,” a designer of the concept model said. Another concept, the K-Open, revived the spirit of the first-generation Copen convertible, which debuted in 2002 as the first minivehicle equipped with an electrically operated retractable roof. “In charting our future, we are taking another look at the spirit that drove the launch of the original Midget,” a Daihatsu spokesperson said. Nissan appealed to nostalgia with special models; the Skyline 400R Limited in “Wangan blue” and the Fairlady Z, simply called “Z” in the United States, in “Midnight purple,” colors that recall the company’s iconic sports cars, such as the Skyline GT-Rs of the 1990s. “These colors evoke our customers’ memories,” an engineer said, “What enriches customers’ lives is the sense that pure internal combustion engines make, such as the feel of sound, vibration and changing gears.” “We pay homage to our iconic models through the proportions and colors of our new cars,” he said, pointing to the new Fairlady Z, whose design adopts many elements inspired by its predecessors. The Nissan group has launched a “heritage parts business” supplying genuine replacement parts for its sports cars that are long out of production. “We even supply body panels for the R32 Skyline GT-R, employing cutting-edge techniques,” he said of the high-performance coupe that won many championship races in and outside the country in the 1990s. “Nissan will respond to customer calls for the return of historic models by reflecting our heritage in the e-POWER hybrids and EVs,” he added. During a special session at the show, beloved vehicles were discussed by auto industry leaders. Nissan President and CEO Ivan Espinosa said he “discovered Nissan through the 300ZX” when he was young and has loved the car ever since, although he brought the latest Z model to the event as his current favorite car. Honda’s revived Prelude sporty coupe is “built on cutting-edge technologies,” a chief engineer said, though its trunk badge pays homage to its fourth-generation debut in 1991. “As we develop the model, our passion overlapped with the spirit of the old Prelude,” he added, emphasizing that the new model embodies Honda’s latest technologies rather than being just a return to the past. A company spokesman, however, noted that “the revival of the heritage name has drawn attention.” He added that a sportier grade could be introduced in the future, with sharper “grand touring” characteristics. According to the organizer, this year’s event was aimed at highlighting culture and emotion. Like the DeLorean from the Back to the Future movie series, the show offers a ride through time, a place where a grandfather and his teenage grandson can share the same moment, surrounded by cars from different eras. The exhibition reflects Japan’s changing society and the evolution of its technology. “The rising market prices of old Japanese models tell a story of global admiration,” a JAMA official also said. “The Time Slip Garage exhibition offered opportunities for visitors to learn what’s behind this (the growing recognition of Japanese-made cars). ” Looking at the initial Civic, which made its debut in 1973, a 62-year-old visitor from Saitama Prefecture said, “It sure brings back memories.” “Comparing past and present models also helped me learn how far Japanese cars have evolved,” he said. Even in the electrification era, Japanese automakers are finding that what moves people may not just be future technologies, but also classic memories. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]