As is often the case when it's looking all quiet on the Japanese automotive front, those oddballs over at Mitsuoka have managed to conjure up a modicum of excitement by pulling yet another unorthodox new model out of their hat.
After 16 years in production, and the launch of two successive generations, we should by now all be familiar with the Nissan March/Micra based, Jaguar MkII emulating Viewt. However, with Mitsuoka recently announcing that production of the second generation Viewt is to end in December 2009, in preparation for a Viewt-less future, the company appears to be exploring other March-based avenues, this time in the form of the newly launched Cute. In perverse Mitsuoka fashion, the Cute isn't actually a new car at all. Instead, it is a new used car, with Mitsuoka carefully selecting a pre-loved example of the Nissan March, which is then put through a rigourous 67 point inspection before being sent down Mitsuoka's production line to commence its transfiguration into a Cute.
As is evident from the accompanying photographs, the March's mutation into the Cute sees the little Nissan titivated with the addition of the Viewt's visage, while the rear bumper and flanks are suitably embellished with chrome rubbing strips. The end product is thus essentially a Viewt, save for the absence of that vehicle's curvaceous derrière. Sadly, however, it is an absence which leaves the Cute looking a little unresolved. Indeed, would the Cute's inspiration, the Jaguar MkII, still be regarded as a design classic today if it too had been brought into this world as a hatchback?
Still, with prices starting at 1,080,000Yen, dependent on mileage, there are few cheaper ways of getting yourself into a hand-crafted Mitsuoka.
Please say it isn't so? Odious financial crisis by all means take GM, but don't take the icon that is Lada. The world would surely be a less colourful place without the boxy cars that have mobilized most of the former Soviet block? If this BBC report is to be believed, Avtovaz, owners of Lada, may be out of business within weeks. Although this seemingly has very little to do with the Japanese car industry and everything to do with the impact on Russia of the global financial crisis, the rash of cheap second-hand Japanese market cars entering Russia through its Eastern ports such as Vladivostok has surely provided one of the nails to seal Lada's coffin?
In what amateur psychologists would no doubt attribute to a childhood bereft of Tonka Trucks, I am, somewhat disturbingly, becoming increasingly smitten with the Japanese phenomenon of Decotora. Decotora, or decoration trucks, are the Hinos, Isuzus and Mitsubishi Fusos of this world which have been festooned with more tawdry neon than the Las Vegas Strip, bedecked with conspicuous stainless-steel protrusions both fore and aft, and, to finish, meticulously graffitied by someone intimate with the ins and outs of Japanese art. The end result could easily be mistaken for any one of three things: a fairground ride with a vomit inducing moniker such as Super Regurgitator 5001, a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Shinto shrine in neon and stainless steel, or an abstract contemporary masterpiece which has unwittingly found its way outside the confines of the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art.
While trucking all too often becomes synonymous with the squalid underbelly of human existence, the Decotora movement, with its cultural references and allusions to the world of art, manages to elevate itself above many of the dispersions commonly cast on the trucking community. Indeed Decotora emphasise much of what is great about Japan: an unerring, almost maniacal commitment to detail, exhibited even by the weekend hobbyist; the ability to contrive new and evermore idiosyncratic fads seemingly from nothing; and the epic juxtaposition of all that glitters and is resolutely modern with venerable customs and relics of ancient culture.
The Decotora phenomenon allegedly has its roots in the city of Hachinohe, in Japan's northern Aomori prefecture. Legend has it that, plagued by prematurely rusting trucks due to the high salt content of their cargo, local haulage companies specialising in the transportation of seafood from the city's port were left with no choice but to adorn their fleets with stainless-steel panels to ward of the advances of the malicious oxide. It was however not until the advent, in 1975, of Toei Studios' highly successful film franchise, Truck Yarou (トッラク野郎, or 'The Truck Guy', to provide a polite translation), which sees dissident Decotora trucker Ichibanboshi battling all and sundry, that Decotora became a nationwide phenomenon.
Today, constructing a Decotora of your own is certainly not an endeavour to be entered into lightly - what with several miles of electrical cabling required for the lighting rigs alone. Fortunately however, for the Decotora fan lacking the inclination, time and financial wherewithal to take their pastime to its logical conclusion, help is at hand in the form of a wealth of affordable Decotora related paraphernalia allowing you to live the technicolour dream vicariously. So without further ado, here we have the definitive guide to Decotora memorabilia:
1. Yanmama Torakka (Young Mother Trucker) DVD. A rather unfortunate title when written in English, but the Japanese doesn't quite carry the same connotations. Judging by the cover image and the dubious tagline, 'Leave the difficult cargo to me!', this is an attempt to meld the worlds of decoration trucks and soft porn. Corroboratory video evidence is however unavailable.
2. Young Mother Trucker not your cup of tea? How about a little Decotora gaming in the form of Bousou Decotora Densetsu (Runaway Decotora Legend) for the Playstation 2, or Zenkoku Decotora Matsuri (Nationwide Decotora Festival) for the Wii. Both of which, somewhat surprisingly, involve spending a disproportionate amount of time driving around various landscapes in Decotora. Rather tediously, it would also appear that you are required to make full use of your truck's indicators - not something I would normally associate with truckers in the non computer generated world.
3. In at number 3 are miniature pullback versions of Decotora from Takara Tomy's longstanding ChoroQ series of caricature-like toy vehicles.
4. The Decotora Yarou Film Series on DVD. As previously mentioned, it was this series of films which secured the Decotora's place in the pantheon of Japanese contemporary culture. Between 1975 and 1979 Toei Studios produced no fewer than 10 Decotora Yarou films, each starring mildly psychotic and highly irreverent protagonist, long distance trucker Ichibanboshi. With titles such as 'Your Honorable Opinion is Worthless', the films themselves are refreshingly anti-establishment. The Japanese term yarou, could be translated in any number of ways, meaning anything from 'old rascal' and 'arsehole' through to 'dude'. I will however let you view the clip below and form your own impression of which most appositely describes Ichibanboshi.
5. The Decotora no Shuu (Decotora Eagle) Film Series. Arguably a modern interpretation of the Decotora Yarou franchise, the 5 Decotora Eagle films produced since 2003 provide a contemporary glimpse of the world of the Decotora. As the clips below show, the world of the Decotora may have lost some of its rebellious spirit, but it is every bit as flamboyant. That exhaust note has certainly come a long way since the 70s.
6. Radio Controlled Decotora. Model company Aoshima, which actually owns the rights to the term Decotora, have kindly gone to the trouble of creating a number of radio controlled trucks allowing Decotora fans to recreate their fantasies in 1/32 scale. All the models are based on trucks which appeared in the Decotora Yarou films.
7. Decotora Photo Book. Perfectly capturing the ethereal neon beauty of the Decotora movement, photographer Tatsuki Matsaru spent 10 years living amongst the Decotora community, recording his experiences through the medium of film. His work can be seen interspersed between the paragraphs at the start of this post, while more information on his motivations can be found in this interview from the sadly now defunct Ping Mag.
Since the demise of the Celica and MR2, it has become all too easy to criticise Toyota for the distinct lack of anything of interest to the keen driver within its vehicle portfolio. While Celicas from the 70s, Hachirokus from the 80s, and Supras from the 90s are now revered as collectors items, it is almost unthinkable that any of the offerings within Toyota's current line up will garner the same level of affection from the automotive community in years to come. Despite the current unprecedented state of affairs which sees Toyota facing its first operating loss in 71 years - and what a loss it is expected to be, at 400 Billion Yen ($4 Billion) - there are signs that something of a quiet revolution may be taking place at the company; a revolution which could see some of the desirability and excitement restored to its product line. The first glimmer of hope comes in the form of Toyota's soon to be inaugurated new president, Akio Toyoda, an inveterate petrolhead, who has not only participated in the Nürburgring 24-Hours, but who has also taken a lead role in the development of Lexus' performance derivatives, the IS-F and LF-A.
There are however more palpable signs of the sea change currently afoot within Toyota. While other Japanese manufacturers race to extricate themselves from their global motorsport commitments, Toyota continues to push ahead with plans for a full season of worldwide motorsport in 2009. One could even go as far as saying that Toyota is expanding its motorsport presence in 2009. Indeed, when the Japanese Super GT Championship kicks off later today at Okayama International Circuit, the dated and unsightly Lexus SC430, which has competed in the GT500 class since 2006, will be joined on the grid by Toyota's new challenger in the GT300 class - the Corolla Axio apr GT. This is not however merely motorsport for motorsport's sake. There is growing evidence to suggest that this increased motorsport activity is filtering back into Toyota's road car line-up, for, slipping imperceptibly under the radar in February, Toyota launched its new Corolla Axio GT, directly influenced by its new GT300 challenger and aiming to revive the lightweight, sporting spirit of the Corolla, not seen since the days of the AE86. On paper and aesthetically the GT certainly seems to herald a return to sporting form for Toyota. Its 1.5l powerplant has been breathed on by TRD (Toyota Racing Development), and now includes a custom turbo and intercooler unit, in addition to a revised ECU. These modifications help to push power up to 150ps, while torque stands at a not inconsiderable 196Nm. Meanwhile, the GT's handling should prove to have been suitably ameliorated by way of a full TRD sports suspension, damper and anti-roll bar package. Visually, the car is distinguished from its inferior brethren by a somewhat menacing black mesh grille, imposing front spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels. For those of you that remain unconvinced, delving into the options list enables the transformation of the GT into an even more extreme sporting proposition, with the addition of a mechanical LSD, high response exhaust and ostentatious TRD graphics. The word on the ground is that the Axio GT is a worthy rival to the Honda Civic Type-R, despite the Toyota's obvious deficiency in the area of power output. Regardless though, the GT certainly represents a step in the right direction for Toyota, however small that step may be.
Rampant larceny and general lawlessness are not phenomena one normally associates with Japan. Of course there are the occasional bizarre stories which make the news of salarymen, ravaged by the effects of excessive overtime and hunger, who temporarily take leave of their senses to steal a 100Yen onigiri (rice ball) from a convenience store. On the whole however, crime rates in Japan remain comparatively low.
The Japanese do however seem to have a proclivity for stealing vans, and one type of van in particular - the Toyota Hiace. According to the latest research from the General Insurance Association of Japan, in 2008, the Toyota Hiace was the most regularly stolen vehicle in Japan for the second year in succession. In 2008, 98 Hiaces were reported stolen, representing 15.3% of all vehicles reported stolen in Japan in 2008. Fortunately for Hiace owners everywhere, the current trend for stealing the vehicles is showing signs of easing, having fallen from a peak of 134 thefts in 2007.
While there may be more interesting vehicles out there for the taking (and without wishing to condone grand theft auto, I would urge the potential offenders among you to make off with something other than a Hiace), it is the Hiace's ubiquity which perhaps helps to account for its status as Japan's most stolen vehicle. Since it first came on the scene in 1967 the Hiace has functioned as the commerical workhorse of the nation, becoming the vehicle of choice for tradesmen, happy campers and right-wing nationalist groups alike. (As a further aside, if you are intent on stealing a Hiace, I would recommend the camper van version, as at least then you can get a bit of shut eye while waiting the long arm of the law.)
The Suzuki Wagon R came in a distant second (38 reported stolen), proving again that Japanese car thieves are not particularly discerning in their choice of vehicles.
Best Car magazine is unashamedly the trashy gossip-laden tabloid of the Japanese automotive media establishment. Every fortnight sees the Best Car editorial team gather together with a crack team of Photoshop operatives to craft their utopian computer-generated vision of what the future has in store for Japan's car industry. The result is often pure fantasy - a bi-monthly rag saturated with scoops of future models which are conspicuously little more than works of fiction, never destined for production. This is not meant to disparage. In an age which is seeing the development of many an interesting vehicle sacrificed in the name of economic streamlining, Best Car's outlandish promises of an abundance of tantilising new metal offer a breath of fresh air.
While other motoring periodicals are currently awash with news of the havoc wreaked on the Japanese car industry by the global economic downturn, the harbinger of doom approach is resolutely not the Best Car way. No stranger to nonconformism, Best Car remains defiant in the face of the so-called carpocalypse, continuing to proffer its full complement of fantastical new model scoops with each successive issue. Although incipient signs were beginning to appear to suggest that Best Car was considering toning the fantasy down a notch in capitulation to the prevailing economic sentiment of gloom - recent issues have shown reasonably staid scoop images of run of the mill fare such as Nissan's new March/Micra - the current issue reverses this trend, once again launching an all out attack on the evil forces of the carpocalypse. Spearheading this attack is news that Honda's aborted next generation NSX project will be reborn as a high-performance hybrid sportscar boasting 400ps. Bringing up the rear are a number of smaller scoops, from the return of the Honda Beat in 2011, to a convertible version of the Toyota iQ, set to debut in 2010. While these all seem surprisingly credible, what shows that Best Car has once again returned to the realm of the fantastical, and is truly flying in the face of the pernicious effects of the carpocalypse, is news of a two-door convertible version of Nissan's Murano SUV, pencilled in for launch in spring 2010. As carmakers rush to abandon their forays into new niches in the wake of economic meltdown, it seems inconceivable that Nissan would even be considering a flirtation with a niche as specialised and confined as that of the two-door, convertible luxo-SUV. However, according to Best Car, although Nissan may be halting development of a number of other niche products, the continued development of the Murano convertible has allegedly been given the seal of approval by none other than Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn. Equipped with an electric soft-top and either a 2.5l 4-cylinder, or 3.5l V6 powerplant, the Murano is expected to cost somewhere in the region of 5 Million Yen, if and when it goes on sale. Looking vaguely reminiscent of a Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, I for one will be astounded if this ever sees the light of day.
Looking at the above photos, the lavish floral display and plethora of rosette garnished suits might suggest that this is the stately opening ceremony of some grand civic works project - a monumental feat of civil engineering such as a tunnel linking Japan to the Korean Peninsula perhaps, constructed with the lofty ambition of bringing the two nations closer together.
In fact nothing could be further from the truth. This is in fact the opening ceremony for a new underground car park in Tokyo's Ueno district. The assembled participants do however have just cause for celebration, for it has taken a not insignificant 23 years and a staggering 15.6 Billion Yen - presumably of taxpayers' money - to bring the project to fruition. With 300 car parking spaces over 3 levels, that puts the construction cost per space at a sizeable 52 Million Yen ($530,000).
At an hourly rate of 600Yen, it doesn't appear that taxpayers will be recouping their outlay anytime soon. Even if all 300 spaces were to remain fully occupied without interruption, it would take 10 years for the car park to break even.
Authorities cite difficulties involved in building the subterranean structure under an operating subway line as the key contributing factor resulting in such an inordinate amount of time and money being required to complete the project. You would however have thought that those in power might have done their homework in advance, and that such complications would have precluded the project from receiving a green light from the outset!
With only 337 Toyota 2000GTs (Nisen GT in Japanese) produced between 1967 and 1970, you'd be doing fairly well to be able to lay claim to having driven what is arguably Japan's first supercar . However, with a run of only two vehicles produced for the Bond film You Only Live Twice, fewer still can claim to have sampled the wind in the hair delights of the convertible version. One man who has however is eminent Japanese motoring journalist Shigeharu Kumakura, and he was kind enough to make a couple of videos recording the experience.
Although Kumakura was seemingly only allowed to stretch the cars legs within the confines of the Toyota Museum's grounds, the resulting videos are enough to provide us mere mortals with a feel of what it might be like to pilot such a rare beauty. For those who can't understand a word of Japanese, listen out for some familiar terms such as 'double overhead camshaft'. If that's too much like hard work, there's plenty of aural pleasure to be found in the noise emanating from the 2000GT's twin-cam inline-six - originally found in the Crown saloon but modified heavily by Yamaha taking power up to 150hp.
A couple of fascinating facts mentioned in the video:
As with the 2000GT's engine, the interior was also influenced by the hand of Yamaha, with craftsmen from the company's musical instrument division creating the rosewood trim.
In 1966, a pre-production vehicle spent four days lapping the high-speed bowl at the Japanese Vehicle Research Facility in Ibaraki, covering 15,000km at an average speed in excess of 200km/h, even continuing through inclement weather conditions as a typhoon hit the track.
When new, you could have bought four Toyota Corollas for the price of a single 2000GT.
I just about managed to justify yesterday's little indiscretion, but I am doubtful I will get away with a similar feat today. For today we are heading ever deeper into the realms of kitsch. May I present the freakish anomaly that was Toyota's 5-year experiment into the world of the wacky and unorthodox - the WiLL sub-brand.
Here and now, in the economic quagmire that is 2009, Toyota is a veritable bastion of conservatism, albeit a loss making bastion of conservatism. It continues to churn out humdrum conformist products which are closer in character to domestic appliances than they are to avant-garde automotive objets. Sure, the iQ is an innovative and intelligent piece of packaging, as attested to by the car's clutch of design awards, but it hardly screams, 'Look at me I'm one sandwich short of a picnic!'
Things weren't always this way though. As little as four short years ago Toyota was a hub of inspired left-of-centre creativity. Certainly back in 2005 emotive, sporting vehicles such as the Celica and MR2 were still in production, but more importantly in Japan, the WiLL sub-brand was still knocking out oddities which pushed the design envelope to see just how wacky regular consumers could take their cars.
Just as Nissan went through a hare-brained spell in the late '80s and early '90s, which resulted in the zany, retro-styled 'Pike Cars' (Pao, Be-1, Figaro et al), Toyota defiantly strode into its brief age of rebellious nonconformity at the advent of the new millennium. In January 2000, Toyota launched its WiLL sub-brand (distinguished by a small square orange logo) with the unveiling of the capriciously shaped Vi. In fact Toyota weren't alone in this epic endeavour, but were instead joined by a whole host of other Japanese corporations from Panasonic to Asahi Beer, all producing slightly outlandish products aimed squarely at the youth generation.
Although based on the run of the mill 1st generation Vitz/Yaris, and sharing a large number of parts with the ubiquitous econobox, the Vi (presumably just 'Vitz' minus the 'tz'?) was clothed in a bizarrely alluring skin which exudes eccentric Gallic charm. The car's styling is an unquestionable and eclectic mix of classic Citroen design cues; the reverse-raked rear window from the Ami, the contours and canvas roof of the 2cv, and the corrugated bodywork of the Mehari. A true Gallic melange. In fact the French influence runs so deep that the shape of the instrument panel is rumoured to be modeled on that of a baguette. Sacre bleu. Wikipedia however takes a slightly less design savvy perspective, citing Cinderella's pumpkin coach as a key design influence. Apocryphal, but nonetheless amusing.
The Vi was allegedly unpopular with its owners for the poor visibility afforded by its eccentric design, and the later and less derivative WiLL models, the VS and the Cypha, were arguably more popular. For me though, the Vi is the definitive WiLL. As fans of Citroen's 2CV will testify: 'Ceci n'est pas une voiture, c'est un art de vivre.' This isn't a car, it's a way of life.
Model: 1988 Nissan EXA Canopy Price: 395,000 So here is where I lose all credibility. I'll come straight out and admit that I have been infatuated with this piece of 80's kitsch for quite some time. Ever the superficial aesthete, this unhealthy fixation has nothing to do with the EXA's handling prowess, or the potency of whatever may lie under its rakish wedge of a 1980's bonnet (a 1600cc 16-valve DOHC unit putting out 120ps, for those interested), although I am sure both are more than adequate. With the EXA Canopy it is purely visual, a design thing - lust at first sight if you like. To my mind any car that combines those two hallmarks of '80s sports car design, pop-up headlights and a T-bar roof, is worthy of inclusion on any self-respecting petrolhead's automotive wish list, but the EXA brings a host of other peculiar design novelties to the 80s themed party. Take for example those rear lights, which look as though they evolved within the fertile mind of an 80s Casio watch designer during an acid fueled all-nighter. The result is something which wouldn't look out of place on a lunar module. Then we come to the car's eponymous Canopy. While Honda, with its Accord Aerodeck, may have beaten Nissan to it in bringing the first Japanese 3-door shooting brake to market, the Canopy has a further ace up its sleeve. The EXA's modular structure allowed the car's shooting brake rear to be removed completely for true wind in the hair motoring, or alternatively, replaced with the standard EXA's rear hatch for a more conventional coupe look. I would however be in favour of keeping the rear canopy firmly in place, as it is only in this configuration that the space-age aesthetic of the EXA is truly complete, almost rendering it suitable transport for a cosmonaut during a lunar landing. Fortunately, I am not alone in my appreciation of the EXA's look. Back in its day, not only did the EXA receive a Good Design Award from the Japanese Ministry of Trade and Industry, but it also received international recognition in the form of a design award from the American Society of Industrial Designers. Perhaps this goes some way towards restoring my credibility, or perhaps there was just something in the water back in the 80s when all those awards were being doled out.
