Another significant change is the development of autonomous vehicles...Is this the future of automobile?

belongs to hybrid cars that will morph into completely electric-powered vehicles that bar fossil fuels. While agreeing to this scenario in the long term, others feel the fuel-fed internal combustion engine, ingeniously redesigned and re-engineered, still has life to it and can continue to improve significantly over its present-day counterparts, and even be relevant yet in the next decade or so.

Another significant change is the development of autonomous vehicles. Using and advancing the technology originally developed for radar and laser-based driving aids, car manufacturers are confident that they are close to finalising designs of totally autonomous vehicles. A few car brands are already producing and selling models that are virtually autonomous, requiring driver inputs in only a few instances.

Is this the future of the automobile? Car manufacturers—and definitely those exhibiting in this year’s Tokyo Motor Show—seem to think so.

The various stands illustrate each car brand’s vision of what the future of the automobile. On show, as well, is their individual approach to what the car of the present and the future should look like, knowing full well that consumers choose the cars they buy not only for what is under their skins, but also for what their skins look like. Aside from the technical aspects of the car of the future, the Tokyo Motor Show is also a beauty contest, where current production models and concept cars vie for the viewer’s critical eye.

The Mazda stand was a crowd favourite. Models shown included the MX-5 RF targatopped roadster and the recently launched CX8—a handsome three-row, crossover SUV that plugs the gap between the CX-5 and CX-9. The evolved Skyactiv-D 2.2-litre diesel engine, will be available for this model.

Mazda also announced its engine of the future: the Skyactiv-x gasoline engine that uses its proprietary Spark Control Compression Ignition (SPCCI) technology. Mazda claims that this will become the world’s first gasoline