The EV era is driving Japan’s automakers to maintain sports cars

Powering Japan Mobility Show with EV Concepts: The QX Inspiration, Infiniti’s Logo, and the Rebirth of Auto Shows

After building several prototypes and concepts, it was decided that it would make an EV out of another concept called the QX Inspiration.

Nissan’s good start on the electric vehicle market with the Leaf has only resulted in the addition of a new EV, the Ariya, which is currently on sale.

Naturally, it’s also emblazoned by Infiniti’s recently updated logo, where the arrow inward no longer intersects to a point. The lines moving toward the center are now invisible before they touch, which is supposed to represent “the infinite road to the horizon.”

That’s not to say the Japanese automakers are the only ones working on electric performance cars. Porsche’s next-generation Boxster and Cayman will debut next year as full EVs, though they will be sold alongside the existing gas-powered models for a while. Most other brands are being even more cautious.

But this lineup of sporty concepts at the Japan Mobility Show is a sign that not only are the automakers serious about electrification, but they also want to keep the spirit of driving enjoyment alive in our new era. The cherry on top is the rebirth of relevant auto shows.

There are vehicles at the show from production kei vans to eVTOL prototypes and robotic scooters. I truly can’t remember the last time an auto show had this much new product to talk about, aside from some shows in China that are typically much more focused on the Chinese market.

Japan has long been a bastion of affordable performance cars of many different types, and these five concepts represent the exact kind of variety that enthusiasts dream about. Even if only one or two of these cars had debuted, it would be big news, so getting all of them at once is pretty incredible. Reports of the auto show’s death may have been premature after all.

Iconic SP: Absolutely Gorgeous, Model-Independent and Power-Electrified for EVs, and the Mazda Prospects for Hybrid Sports Cars

Honda has an EV version of the Prelude that could come out one day, but it isn’t an ideal platform yet, and the Civic platform is tough to fully electrify. Honda is still using General Motors’ Ultium platform for EVs like the Prologue, the brands’ proposed architecture for affordable EVs has been canceled, and Honda’s own e:Architecture platform won’t be ready until 2025 (and that’s for larger cars anyway). A Prelude EV that uses a Honda platform could ride on a version of European e:Ny1, but it wouldn’t fit this model.

Honda showed off several electric bikes and scooters, including the incredible Motocompacto, that will be sold in the US later this year. The Sustaina-C concept is a small car that is made out of recycled plastic, and the CI-MEV is a micro car for elderly people who can’t walk or drive. On the more wacky side, Honda revealed an Avatar Robot that can remotely perform tasks for the controlling user and the Uni-One wheelchair-like mobility device that can be controlled without using your hands by just shifting your body weight. Oh, and Honda’s eVTOL and HondaJet are on display, too.

Mazda has been working on range-extenders for years, but the IconicSP’s powertrain might sound weird. The R-EV version of the MX-30 uses a single-rotor motor as a generator in the way that the Iconic SP does. Earlier this year, Mazda filed six patents related to rotary powertrains, as well as multiple patents for rotary hybrid sports car packages. Mazda has previously confirmed that a next-generation Miata is coming, and it will use some sort of electrified powertrain. The NE Miata is likely to have a standard hybrid setup, both to keep costs and weight down and preserve the Miata’s analog feel. It seems like it will happen, and it would leave room in Mazda’s lineup for a more upscale sports car.

Take a look at the Iconic SP, it is absolutely stunning. Mazda describes the Miata’s sibling as a car that makes you feel like you’re driving. It is perfectly proportioned, with sculpted, super wide fenders and an extremely sloping hood. There are no big intakes, big exhaust tips or other sports car cues, but Mazda has a smiling grille. Pop-up headlights are back, with the slim LEDs hiding behind a small cover when not in use.

The Miata-inspired design cues don’t mean that the Iconic SP is a Miata revival. The current Miata is 72.8 inches long, 72.8 inches wide and 45.3 inches tall, and it is 4.3 inches lower than the bicscuitSP.

Mazda says the Iconic SP’s two-rotor engine is mounted in the center of the car, which helps give it a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and a low center of gravity. The IconicSP is 850 pounds heavier than a Miata but still lighter than most existing electric vehicles, despite its stated weight of 3,197 pounds. Mazda says that the Iconic SP has more than double the power of a Miata, even though we don’t know how big the battery is or how powerful the electric motor is.

Source: Japan’s automakers are keeping sports cars alive in the EV era

The Hyper Force and the FT-Se Concepts: Toyota’s Next-Generation Air Mobility Concept and Lexus’ Future LF-ZC

The Hyper Force is one of five “Hyper” concepts that Nissan unveiled in Tokyo, with the lineup including a wild Hyper Tourer minivan and a Hyper Punk crossover designed for content creators. All five concepts are available to play in Fortnite, and they were featured in a digital 3D billboard in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. These concepts might seem completely over the top to you, and they certainly are, but each one packs technology ideas and design themes that will be used in future Nissan production cars. I hope the names stay the same.

Nissan says the Hyper Force uses a solid-state battery pack, something the company has already started working on. Nissan’s first solid-state batteries will enter pilot production in Japan in 2024, with the first production EV using them to go on sale by 2028. It’s unknown how many electric motors the Hyper Force uses, but Nissan says it makes a whopping 1,341 horsepower that’s sent to all four wheels via the brand’s e-4ORCE technology.

After developing two generations of rear-wheel-drive sports coupes together, Toyota is breaking off from Subaru for the next-generation 86 (which will still be gas-powered), leaving Subaru on its own to decide the BRZ’s fate. Subaru debuted its new Sport Mobility concept in Tokyo, which sure seems like a preview of an electric BRZ successor.

The Air Mobility concept is a flying vehicle with a car-like cabin and six horizontally mounted propellers on its roof, and a funny set of head- and taillights. The static model is being worked on for real-life flight demonstrations with automotive and aerospace engineers.

It’s been 16 years since Toyota last offered a mid-engined sports car with the third-gen MR2, and it’s bringing that car’s spirit back with the electric FT-Se concept. Toyota first teased an electric sports car a couple years ago, and the FT-Se’s design is an evolution of what we’ve seen before. It seems like there will be production of the FT-Se.

The Lexus brand revealed a pair of concepts based on the Toyota next-gen EV architecture. The LF-ZC previews an IS-sized production sedan that will have two times the range of existing EVs and the same design as the Lexus LF-ZL, which is less focused on immediate production intent. Lexus showed a prototype of a high- performance EV sports car, dubbed the “Electrified Sport”, in 2021.

Electric cars have been banned in Japan, but in terms of actual sales volume and introduction of EV models by Japanese auto manufacturers, it has been slower than other countries. Only 1.5 percent of new car sales in Japan this year are electric, compared to around 15 percent in Western Europe and 8% in the US.