The 8 Coolest Design Elements At The Tokyo Motor Show

Cars are filled with evermore technology and information, which is great – unless you just want to drive. Mazda warns that, “Screens can easily become a barrier that blocks the driver’s view.” For that reason, the touchscreen in the Mazda Vision Coupe concept is a transparent panel that can simply disappear from view when not in use. Neat, right? It’s an evolution of the many slide- or fold-away displays we’ve seen in other cars and could reduce driver distraction if put into practice.

First of all, it’s almost a given that the production WRX won’t look anywhere near as extreme as this concept. With that out of the way, allow me to direct your attention to its wheel wells, where polygonal fenders surround the wheels. Not just slightly squared off circles, but sharp, angular shapes like your geometry teacher taught you. (Oh, and did I mention those fender flares are made from carbon fiber?) It matches the aggressive lines elsewhere on the car and is a very cool differentiator from the many, many other cars on the market that simply draw circles around their wheels.

Manual-transmission cars are fun and engaging, but automatics and hybrids are the future. How to reconcile? The Toyota GR HV concept shows one possible way, with a physical H-pattern shifter available for drivers who want the shift-it-yourself experience in their hybrid car – and PRND automatic buttons for those who don’t. The GR HV is, by the way, a hybrid, Targa-roofed prototype based on today’s Toyota 86 (aka Subaru BRZ). Does that mean this kind of virtual shifting tech is coming to a future car? Only time will tell.

Like Mazda, Nissan has been thinking about how to present information to drivers in a straightforward manner. Its IMx concept, a full-electric people-mover with suicide doors, address that issue with a panoramic OLED display that wraps around the lower part of the windshield and the front windows. It frees up space for beautiful wood trim on the dashboard and precludes the driver from looking away from the road to manipulate the car’s infotainment controls. Best of all, because it is transparent and shows the outside view “through” its information display, the screen bridges the gap between a head-up display and a digital instrument cluster.

Put down your pitchforks – no, this e-Evolution concept isn’t like the rally-bred Mitsubishi Evo we know, love, and still mourn. But the thoroughly modern, all-electric crossover at least has one party trick. Rear-opening doors make ingress simpler for passengers, and frankly, just look cool; there aren’t many cars on the road at all with rear-hinged doors. Otherwise, the design is aggressively futuristic, with a heavy dose of ruggedness mixed in with the sharp angles and lines.

Though it has some similarities to the FT-4X SUV concept we saw in New York, Toyota’s TJ Cruiser concept is all its own take on what SUV drivers want. The coolest thing here: sliding side doors. Yes, they evoke the uncoolness of a minivan, but the utility of sliding doors is undisputed. As the photos show, the door arrangement makes it even easier for owners to get bulky outdoorsy gear in and out of their SUV. It’s a cool design trick that would make a lot of sense on a production model.

Usually when we talk hyperbolically about the cool factor of center-mounted driver’s seats, it’s the McLaren F1 that’s on the mind. This Yamaha pickup truck concept, however, also puts the pilot in the middle of the vehicle (with passenger seats behind the driver). That helps deflect attention away from the somewhat, uh, weird exterior styling. Still, the Cross Hub is pretty cool: a small, crossover-based truck, it’s shown here transporting Yamaha motorcycles. There are no plans for this Cross Hub to reach production.