General Admission
Excuse me, while I eat sushi and sashimi
By Al S. Mendoza
TOKYO, Japan — I guess, you know by now. I’ve written about it here a couple of times already, if not more.
I come to this city once in two years.
That has been the routine since 1993.
It’s almost become a pilgrimage.
No, not just the sushi and sashimi, although this twin Japanese delicacy has been a major factor to the trip.
For, where else can you genuinely savor this salivating knockout pair from the Japanese cuisine but in the Land of the Rising Sun itself?
Well, for starters, I’m here upon the invite, once more, of Toyota Motor Philippines.
The 41st Tokyo Motor Show is on up to November 4.
This is one of the world’s Top 5 Motor Shows where only the latest models in car technology are on display to the public.
Also featured, as usual, are concept cars.
They are the vehicles that aren’t yet sold in the market but mere concoctions for possible production in the future.
Most look like fancy cars. Funny even. But on the whole, they are the foundations of future cars that we will drive.
For example, take the Toyota Prius.
I saw its first test-run in Tokyo in 1997.
The Prius was a mere concept car. Its birth was revolutionary since it was then the first vehicle to run on electric motor, battery and fossil fuel.
Indeed, a combination of three. When you stop before a traffic light, the engine automatically shuts off.
When the green light flashes, just step on the gas and the Prius will move on.
During acceleration, power comes from both the electric motor and gasoline.
When cruising, it runs practically on battery and electric motor.
That’s why it’s the world’s most economical car.
The third-generation Prius can cover 37 kilometers in one liter!
When Prius, the first hybrid car to hit America in 1997, was unwrapped in the 1995Tokyo Motor Show, even the cynics dubbed it “the miracle car of the future.”
It is, indeed.
I first drove it in 1999 in Tokyo. At first, I was nervous. But then, after about five minutes of driving it around Tokyo’s busy streets, I was settled down.
Why, it drives just like the average car in front of you. Only, it hums. Not roars.
But there’s not much difference at all, though. As my idol, Kuya Leonie Galvez of Los Angeles, loves to say it, “The difference is the same.”
With the Prius, you could hardly feel its engine running. That’s because the engine stops most of the time even if your car is in motion – the reason you don’t consume that much gasoline while you are driving the Prius. The electric motor comes into play most of the time, making you run practically gas-less most of the time.
Today, Prius is here. Just like the rest of the cars from Toyota’s rivals.
The only difference is, the Prius, because it was the first in the market of its kind, is the only hybrid car being sold in the Philippines right now.
What will be the surprise car this time in the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show at Makuhari Messe?
Please hang around and I will keep you posted.
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