Eds: 40th Tokyo Motor Show opens October 26 =Tokyo - The 40th Tokyo Motor Show is set to open in the Japanese capital this Friday with the slogan "Catch the News, Touch the Future," and a programme weighted towards at young, experimental and environmentally-conscious drivers on the domestic market. Launching on Friday and opening to the public on Saturday, the show will run for 17 days until November 11 at the Makuhari Messe exhibition hall in Chiba City. Participating will be some 241 companies as well as over a million visitors, making it one of the world's largest car expos.
A total of 71 vehicles will be making their debut at the Japan show, with Toyota unveiling nine experimental concepts. Among these will be the petrol-electric hybrid 1/X, which is claimed to weigh almost two-thirds less than the company's globally successful Prius hybrid.
German carmaker Audi is offering the A1 project, which at four metres in length is the company's smallest vehicle but which nonetheless manages an impressive 200 hp and is expected to directly challenge the Mini.
Nissan is set to present the futuristic battery-powered PIVO 2 concept, with its distinctive blue bubble-shaped cockpit able to swivel 360 degrees, eliminating the need for reverse.
Also exploring renewable energy sources are Mitsubishi Motors, set to exhibit at Tokyo the i MiEV sport which draws power from photovoltaic solar cells on its roof.
Competitor Honda brings to the Tokyo stage the Puyo, a car powered by fuel cell technology and a design concept of no discernible edges.
"The goal was to create a personable design with the feel of an adorable pet," according to a company statement explaining the use of silicone gel technology to create a soft and "seamless" car body which also has the ability to absorb minor impacts.
Alongside such avant garde engineering the Tokyo show will also showcase new models of production vehicles, including Nissan's GT-R performance car and Toyota's luxury Lexus IS F.
Media previews for the show begin Wednesday.
