GLOBAL VEHICLES

Sports cars take center stage in Tokyo

Once upon a time, the Tokyo Motor Show was considered one of the biggest. However, not anymore, in terms of its acreage, numbers of exhibit brands, and visitors; it is now dwarfed by such Asian aspirers as Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul. The show's allure had hugely diminished when most of the foreign continents lost their Big Sight venue spots for a couple of shows after the Great Lehman Bros crisis.

The show was back in town this year, with the Japanese car, commercial vehicle, and motorcycle manufacturers, suppliers, and specialists returning to the arena with delightful and energetic vengeance. The country still ranks third in the world for new automobile sales (5.56 million in 2014), and the imports have been doing well with a relatively small share (5.2% in 2014) but lucrative business. The importers were back as well, notably with two extraordinary world premieres: one automated concept by Mercedes-Benz and the other an ultra-high-performance car courtesy of BMW. Prominently absent were General Motors, Ford, and the envy of the Japanese Four in the premium two-wheel segment, Harley-Davidson.