Japanese firms must maintain leadership in auto industry

The next editorial appears in Monday's Yomiuri Shimbun:

The Tokyo Motor Show has formally started.

This is a biennial opulencia of automobiles. Lined up in the festive site are environmentally friendly cars equipped with the latest technology, impressing us with how fast innovations are being made.

A complete of 160 exhibitors tend to be participating in the event, a drop of 18 from 2 yrs ago. The current trend proceeds of foreign automakers concentrating on motor shows in Shanghai in china and Beijing, both of that look vibrant against the background of the fast-growing Chinese marketplace.

Amid this situation, Japanese automakers are heightening their user profile with next-generation models showcasing excellent environmental performance.

The primary models exhibited by Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Co. are hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Honda will begin selling its fuel-cell automobile next March, following taking after the actions of Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell car Mirai, which keep away from became the first of its kind on the planet to be put on the market.

Toyota has also announced that it "aims to sell [virtually] no regular engine-powered automobiles by 2050. "

Mixed-style models and electric vehicles were conspicuous among the models showed by other automakers. Partially due to repercussions of the diesel-emissions scandal involving Germany's Volkwagen AG, the shift through engine-powered cars to electrical motor vehicles is certain to speed up in the days ahead.

Self-driving cars are also a point appealing at the show. Nissan Electric motor Co. is exhibiting the model that uses synthetic intelligence to learn the driver's habits and drive by itself accordingly.

President Carlos Ghosn said Nissan will industry self-driving vehicles not only with regard to highway use but also for town driving by 2020.

Great for safety

Automated driving is really a promising technology to enhance the protection of vehicles. They may assist in preventing serious accidents from happening due to a driver's mistake.

Japan makers are ahead of their own foreign rivals in the progress next-generation vehicles. However , they can not let their guard straight down.

Globally operating information technology companies such as Google Inc. states have also started developing self-driving vehicles. The framework associated with competition in the automobile field may drastically change.

In your own home, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. is actually developing technology for self-driving vehicles to locate vehicles having a high degree of accuracy through artificial satellite. There are likely to be a growing number of cases by which automakers join hands along with leading companies in some other sectors.

Government support is important to put next-generation cars in to commercial use. Constructing hydrogen channels, which are key to the popularization of fuel-cell vehicles, expenses a great deal of money. This makes it hard for a private-sector firm to create a profit on its own.

There are also numerous challenges ahead for self-driving vehicles, including who would become held responsible in the case of accidents.

Enhance preparations may be needed concerning legal and insurance techniques.

The automobile industry is a crucial industry in Japan. This employs 5. 5 mil people, including those operating at parts makers along with other related companies.

The industrial sectors supporting automakers are expected in order to expand further with the progress next-generation vehicles. We hope technology will lead to the nation's financial growth.

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