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Tokyo Motor Show Roundup: The best (and strangest) vehicles from the wildest car event in the world 

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by pilotgrrl, Oct 25, 2017.

  1. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Tagline underneath one pic: " The SkyActiv X engine is an antidote to clumsy hybrid technology " :whistle:
     
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  3. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Article not totally accurate. They say the Toyota Crown has been Japan only. I remember seeing them in Canada a number of years ago.
     
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  4. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Yeah, that deserves an :rolleyes:. Let's not think about it being used in a hybrid.

    But kudos to Mazda if their HCCI engine does live up to the promise.
    Like 1973; the last MY import of it.
    Toyota Crown - Wikipedia
    Aruba and Curaçao got it up to 1998. That seems to be it for non-Asian exports. Though grey imports are always possible in some places.
     
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  5. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Sigh.
     
  6. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    The Crown Taxi (which is an older version of the Crown than the one sold to consumers in Japan) was common in Hong Kong until the mid-2000s, and in Singapore until a few years earlier.

    [​IMG]

    Just seeing one makes me feel quite drunk.
     
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  7. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    There are lots of interesting cars there.

    The taxi is clearly designed for Japan. It looks lovely, and like a very pleasant way to travel. But the high rear seat and low driver's seat and lack of a divide mean it would be very easy to attack the taxi driver. Not a problem in Japan, obviously, but I can't see it being great for less-safe countries.

    Even in Japan, the risk of drunk people throwing up on the driver's head seems like a bit of an issue.

    I was surprised the article didn't mention the Honda Sports EV - I think that's my favourite car from the show so far.

    [​IMG]

    Honda Sports EV Concept revealed
     
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  8. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    懐かしいです。

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  9. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Very much so. You do still see them occasionally in Singapore - although there are a lot more Hyundai Sonatas and Priuses there - and there are still loads in Hong Kong.
     
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  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The fuel cell segment was interesting... not even 2nd gen but talking about 3rd gen? Whaaat?

    The battery part is interesting too. That means Toyota is subtly hinting that they are trying to go full solid state (or some other cathode/anode combination other than Li-ion). It also means that the next gen Mirai may still use NiMH.

    lol.

    i remember seeing them when they were new, replacing the older Bluebirds and Sunny in Asia.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Mazda? They're one holdout in implementing hybrid models are they not? Someone upstairs just doesn't like them? (n)
     
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  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yes. But yet Toyota and Mazda (and Denso) are collaborating on a "EV Common Architecture Spirit" platform.
     
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  13. heiwa

    heiwa Active Member

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    Dose "...feel quite drunk" mean feeling nostalgic? I still have a lot to learn about English! Like "going cold turkey" equals quit, I understand each word but would never guess what it means as an idiom.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  14. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Mazda is a small car company, that is more niche than mainstream. They simply didn't have the resources to develop a hybrid while also developing more efficiency ICEs, which are the heart of an effective hybrid.
    Part of the deals they have with Toyota was access to hybrid tech while Toyota got access to their ICE tech, and they have a hybrid in Japan, where they needed one for the market.
     
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  15. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I thought Mazda was owned by Ford.
     
  16. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    When Ford was facing bankruptcy a couple years before the Recession, they sold off the majority stake in Mazda. They might have 10% still, but I think Toyota's share is up to 12% now.
     
  17. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    Mazda - Wikipedia

    On September 30, 2015, when Ford's shares had sunk to a little over 2% due to stock dilution, Ford sold its remaining shares in Mazda.[27]

    Post-partnership with Ford

    In 2011, Mazda raised more than 150 billion yen (US$1.9 billion) in a record share sale to replenish capital, as it suffered its biggest annual loss in 11 years. Part of the proceeds were used to build an auto plant in Mexico.[28] The Mexican plant was built jointly by the company and Sumitomo Corporation.[29]

    In May 2015, the company signed an agreement with Toyota to form a "long-term partnership", that would, among others, see Mazda supply Toyota with fuel-efficient SkyActiv gasoline and diesel engine technology, in exchange for hydrogen fuel cell systems.[30]



    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  18. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    @pilotgrrl 's comment about being "nostalgic" and my comment about "feeling quite drunk" are not talking about the same thing.

    I would guess that @pilotgrrl feels nostalgic about the times in the past, somewhere in Asia, where she got Toyota Crown taxis a lot. I do too.

    But when I said that the picture of a Toyota Crown taxi makes me feel quite drunk, that's something else. Most times that I got a Toyota Crown taxi in Hong Kong, I was very, very drunk. So this picture reminds me of times when I was very drunk.

    I hope this helps.

    It's really hard. And Australian and British English are even harder, with even stranger idioms.

    I remember a very long (but fun) afternoon in the pub in Britain when I was at university, when one of my British (but bilingual) friends was explaining to some of our Japanese friends the difference between "bollocks" (rubbish or nonsense) and "the bollocks" (brilliant or wonderful). Neither term is used in America as far as I'm aware, but it shows how confusing it can be.

    As for "cold turkey", it seems that no-one even knows where the term comes from:

    Where Does the Phrase "Cold Turkey" Come From? | Merriam-Webster
     
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  19. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    In America, did you get cars that were sold as both Mazdas and Fords? In Britain, we didn't. But in Australia and Taiwan, the Ford Laser and Mazda 323 were basically the same car in the 80s and 90s.

    [​IMG]
     
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  20. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Yes. Back then I had both a Mazda B2500 truck (Ford Ranger) and later a Mazda MPV which used a Ford Contour drivetrain. The dealership carried both makes but I got the truck specifically over the ranger because it came with a better warranty.
     
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