2011 Tokyo Motor Show

credit: Jacob Gordon

The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show took place in Japan's capital city December 3-11.

First up, Toyota. The car manufacturer pulled the wraps off its FCV-R concept car for the first time during the show's press days. This sizable sedan runs on a hydrogen fuel cell power plant which Toyota claims can propel the FCV-R for 430 miles between hydrogen fillups.
Japan's leading automaker has been tinkering with conceptual fuel cell cars for some time, as first seen in the Fine-N back in 2005.

credit: Jacob Gordon

Honda staked out a large presence at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, and debuted a number of concepts for the first time.
Among those was this tiny Micro Commuter concept car. Intended strictly for zipping around the urban core, this Tron-esq three-seater maxes out at 37 miles per hour.

credit: Jacob Gordon

We've been following BMW's electrification for a while, but it was quite stunning to see the dramatic i8 plug-in diesel hybrid sports car in person this week in Tokyo.
What is it about gull-wing doors that always makes my body temperature go up a little? The i8 is a concept car, yes, but BMW insists its on track to bring it to production by 2013.
Under the hood is a 3-cylinder diesel engine that is mated to two electric motors. This combo can supposedly make the jump from 0-60 miles per hour in an fantastic 4.8 seconds, with a total range of 430 miles.

credit: Jacob Gordon

We've seen previous iterations of the Nissan Pivo.

Now in its third incarnation, Nissan showed the tiny commuter EV concept in Tokyo this week. While the Pivo III has lost its bubble shape, it has retained its ability to control each wheel independently, giving the car the ability to squeeze into otherwise-impossible parking spaces and maneuver in our increasingly jammed cities.

credit: Jacob Gordon

If you didn't think a station wagon deserved both gull-wing and suicide doors, take a gander at the Subaru Advanced Tourer concept that is on display in Tokyo this week.

Under the hood is a horizontally opposed boxer engine hooked to a single-motor hybrid system. And since it's a Subaru wagon, it has to be all-wheel drive.

Here is the Suzuki Q Concept. The Q - which apparently draws its name from its exterior form - is described as a new kind of mobility that's "positioned between motorcycles and cars." Designed primarily for urban use, the car is only 8.2-feet long, is purportedly "ideal for trips under 10 km." Tandem seating for two is provided, though Suzuki says the smaller rear seat can be folded flat to provide enough cargo space for use as a delivery vehicle
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/tokyo/2011/1111_suzuki_q_concept/index.html#ixzz1gKA74YpU

More: http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/cars/2011-tokyo-motor-show-exclusive-innovative-green-concept-cars/