TOKYO – Organizers of this year’s rebranded Tokyo Motor Show, bracing for another meager international turnout, plan to cast a wider net for locals by incorporating everything from dance displays and music festivals to all manner of things on wheels, from robots to food trucks.
After the presence of overseas carmakers at Japan’s premier auto expo shrank to just four brands at the last gathering in 2019, organizers rebranded the event as the Japan Mobility Show. But international participation is expected around the same level when doors open in October.
Jun Nagata, head of the show’s organizing committee at the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, acknowledged that motor shows worldwide have been “shrinking” over the years.
“Only national carmakers now take part in their country’s motor show,” he said at a Wednesday briefing. “Given such a trend, this small representation by foreign carmakers is understandable.”
At the last Tokyo Motor Show in 2019, only four international brands showed up — Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Renault and Alpine — while the event drew more than 1.3 million people.