Tokyo 2009: Passion to go with the Plug-Ins

Walking around this year’s Tokyo Motor Show (which slogan was "Fun driving for us, Eco driving for Earth"), which felt more like a small-town affair than a grand international event, I couldn’t help but notice the plethora of plug-in electric vehicles.

Every Japanese automaker -- miniscule-volume Lotus was the only European manufacturer in attendance, and the Koreans were no-shows -- had some sort of EV on display. From the Nissan Leaf four-door hatch and Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo minicar to the Suzuki Swift plug-in hybrid and Honda’s cute-as-a-button EV-N, there was absolutely no shortage of the green transporters that will be whirring along our city streets over the next few years.

While I applaud these battery-powered pollution-free vehicles, it was refreshing, at least for the enthusiast in me, to see that Japan had not lost its passion for performance.

Source : MotorTrend, by Ron Kiino, October 25th, 2009