“After the Tsunami all the car manufacturers banded together (along with Google) and pooled their big data information (where the roads were defunct or not). Lack of information then would have cost a life. It was a very important turning point for interconnectivity between the internet and cars.”
Another major feature of the motor show is Autonomous Driving. In June, the
Japanese cabinet passed a motion
that created the "Declaration to
become the World's Most Advanced IT
Nation." The declaration states that,
"by 2018, fatalities from traffic accidents will have been decreased to below 2,500, and by 2020, Japan will have achieved the world's safest road transit infrastructure, with additional large-scale reductions in traffic congestion." One step in this direction is "the creation of autonomous systems and the sharing of data from vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to road aimed at the development of an advanced driver assistance system.
Demonstrations of autonomous driving will be launched on public roads in advance of deployment of this system; the aim is to, by the first half of the 2020s, bring to market a Level 3 (set by the Japan's Ministry of Land. Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) semi-autonomous driving system.
For those disenfranchised with the stoic approach to most motoring showcase events, the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show will be a welcome shot in the arm for even the most satiated car enthusiast. It’s well worth the price of a train ticket.
The Tokyo Motor Show runs from October 29 to November 8. For more information visit the Tokyo Motor Show Website.