The 37th Tokyo Motor Show (Patron: H.I.H. Prince Tomohito of Mikasa) closed its doors at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 5 after running for 13 days, beginning Friday, October 24th, at Makuhari Messe (Nippon Convention Center) in Chiba.
This year's show was the first "passenger cars and motorcycles" show that the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA; Chairman: Yoshihide Munekuni) has been involved from the initial planning stages since the merger of May 2002 between JAMA and former organizer Japan Motor Industrial Federation (JMIF).
The show well exceeded its goal of 1.4 million visitors, reaching an attendance of 1,420,400. It has outdone the previous passenger cars and motorcycles show (the 35th show held in 2001; 1,276,900 visitors) by more than 10%. A particularly large number of first-time visitors was recorded. This marks a reversal in the declining attendance that has been seen for the past 12 years. Press attendance was also up at a total of 12,300 members of the domestic and foreign press corps (compared to 12,000 for the last show).
The show enjoyed the participation of 263 companies, 4 governments and 1 organization from 14 countries. A total of 613 vehicles from 63 domestic and foreign manufacturers were on display (total passenger car, motorcycle and Carrozzeria exhibits). Of this number, 84 were world premieres (41 passenger cars, 33 motorcycles and 10 Carrozzeria), and 108 were Japan premiers (71 passenger cars, 29 motorcycles and 8 Carrozzeria). In the parts division, there were exhibits from 200 companies, 4 governments and 1 organization, including 49 world premieres and 26 Japan premieres.
Since the current records of world premieres at major international motor shows indicate 40 to 70 units per show, this year's levels put the Tokyo Motor Show among the world's top class in terms of world premiere announcements and reaffirmed its importance to passenger car and motorcycle manufacturers.
Exhibitions tended to emphasize environment, safety and information technology, presenting a wide lineup with a good balance between high-impact concept cars and market models. Booths achieved generally high levels of presentation as well.
The theme for this year's show was "The Challenge: Driving toward a Better Future." The organizers tried to provide a more attractive show for exhibitors and visitors alike with special events that emphasized "audience participation" and "interactive communication." This amounted to the Tokyo Motor Show's first "model change" in its 50-year history that dates back to the ""1st All Japan Motor Show" of 1954. This year also saw the introduction of a full-fledged sponsorship program for the first time ever, with sponsors coming from a wide range of industries. The sponsor advertisement boards and booths in the hall also gave the show a renewed image.
The Tokyo Motor Show this year included a wide variety of "audience participation" events. Clean Energy Vehicle Test Rides drove visitors around Makuhari Seaside Park in state-of-the-art fuel cell vehicles and other environment-friendly cars. The Carrozzeria Exhibit in the Event Hall brought 13 original and "tuning" design studios from Japan and around world to the show for the first time. Festival Park, which was specially set up within the show, hosted a number of traffic safety education events, including the "Fiesta Mariscos" live cooking show, "Traffic Moral Saver Anzenger" show (action drama for children), "Trial Bike Demonstrations," and a Chiba Prefectural Police Corner. Symposiums were held on 18 themes covering everything from environment and safety to taxation, emergency medicine and motor sports. All were well attended and well received. By holding outside events, visitors were dispersed both indoors and outdoors, alleviating congestion even while attracting larger numbers of visitors.
The organizers conducted a survey of visitors and many responding that "the Tokyo Motor Show has definitely changed" or "it feels like it has changed." Many visitors expressed their appreciation of the new-style Tokyo Motor Show. The reasons were stated that they have "gained a better understanding of the industry's message on social issues," "enjoyed the many new events," and, "could see the care that has been taken with visitor services." These results indicate that visitors did indeed understand and appreciate the organizers' intentions.
In light of the excellent reception for the new "audience-participation" style motor show, JAMA intends to continue with this format in future years. Below is the schedule for the next Tokyo Motor Show:
| Name | The 38th Tokyo Motor Show—Commercial & Barrier-free Vehicles— (2004) |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA) |
| Dates | Tuesday, November 2 - Sunday, November 7, 2004 (6 days) Press Day: Tuesday, November 2 Special Guest Day: Tuesday, November 2 General Public Days: Wednesday, November 3 - Sunday, November 7 |
| Location | Makuhari Messe (Nippon Convention Center), Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture |
