Tokyo Motor Show looks to green cars to drive recovery

TOKYO, Nov 27 (AFP): Japan's auto industry has taken a triple hit from the global downturn, strong yen and a catastrophic quake, but is hoping the Tokyo Motor Show, starting Wednesday, can mark a fresh start. With a reputation for environmental technologies, Japanese firms are looking to showcase green innovation to boost sales at home and abroad. Demand is still shifting to compact, fuel-efficient cars, said Tatsuya Mizuno, a director at Mizuno Credit Advisory in Tokyo and vehicle industry expert, and this is where Japan's manufacturers have the edge. "The Japanese market is still important for European carmakers that are interested in environmental technologies such as electric and hybrid cars," he said. There are signs of recovery ahead of this year's show, after the 2009 edition of the biennial event was blighted by the global financial crisis. This year's motor show-aimed at showcasing products to buyers and promoting industry exchanges-will host 176 exhibitors from a dozen countries, compared with 129 exhibitors from 10 nations two years ago. The venue for this year will be almost twice as large. Several major foreign manufacturers who skipped last time are back, such as Germany's Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche; French carmakers Renault and Peugeot-Citroen; and Britain's Jaguar and Land Rover. Toyota is set to unveil the Aqua, a compact hybrid car, and several concept vehicles including an advanced fuel cell car, while rival Nissan, which is 43.8 percent owned by Renault, is to showcase several electric concept cars. But global economic uncertainty is still casting its shadow over the vehicle market. US automakers are staying away from the show this year, along with South Korean manufacturers apart from Hyundai.