Tokyo Motor Show (Tokyo Mobility Show)

The Japan Mobility Show, formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show (TMS), is organised by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). Founded in 1954, it was initially known as the "All Japan Motor Show" before adopting its famous moniker in 1964. The Tokyo Motor Show was once hailed as the "trendsetter of the Asian automotive industry", drawing a record 1.4 million visitors at its peak and standing alongside Frankfurt and Geneva among the world's top five motor shows. In 2023, the event was officially rebranded as the "Japan Mobility Show", marking its strategic pivot from a traditional motor show into a cross-industry platform covering diverse mobility technologies such as robotics and flying vehicles.

Historical Background

The Tokyo Motor Show traces its origins back to 1954, debuting as an open-air exhibition at Tokyo's Hibiya Park with only a handful of domestic Japanese carmakers taking part. Over subsequent decades, the venue moved from Hibiya Park to Harumi, then Makuhari Messe, and ultimately settled at Tokyo Big Sight, expanding the exhibition footprint roughly tenfold. Between 1999 and 2005, the event ran alternate-year editions for commercial vehicles and passenger cars, before consolidating back into a unified, comprehensive showcase from 2007 onwards.

In 2023, the Tokyo Motor Show underwent a landmark transformation, officially rebranding as the "Japan Mobility Show" to broaden its horizon beyond automobiles to aerial mobility vehicles, autonomous delivery robots, and future transport solutions. The second edition in 2025 adopted the theme "A unique opportunity to explore the future of mobility" , drawing 522 participating companies and organisations, with total footfall surpassing 1 million visitors.

Overview of the 2025 Show

The 2025 Japan Mobility Show was staged from 30 October to 9 November at Tokyo Big Sight, drawing a total of 522 companies and organisations, including 118 startups. The event featured dedicated Pitch Contests & Awards tailored for commercial partnerships, highlighting the exhibition's positioning as a "co-creation platform". The show was anchored around three main thematic zones:

• #Future: Showcased the immersive "Tokyo Future Tour 2035" experience, partnering with over 100 cross-sector enterprises to envision daily living scenarios in 2035, drawing approximately 311,000 visitors

• #Culture: Celebrated car and motorcycle culture, offering experiential showcases featuring classic cars, motorsport racers, and custom builds, drawing around 346,000 visitors

• #Creation: Hosted the "Startup Future Factory" zone, where 118 startups participated in pitch contests to drive cross-industry innovation and collaboration

Across social media channels, the event generated over 483,000 related posts during the exhibition period, while official content from the organiser garnered 53 million impressions.

Japanese Carmakers Take Centre Stage at Home

As the premier domestic showcase to unveil cutting-edge technologies and new models to the world, Japanese carmakers have traditionally headlined the Tokyo show.

Toyota Motor showcased an extensive portfolio across the Toyota, Lexus, and Daihatsu marques. Toyota announced the elevation of its flagship "Century" nameplate into a standalone ultra-luxury brand positioned above Lexus, debuting a striking orange Century coupe concept. The Corolla concept featured an aggressive, sporty design with multi-energy compatibility engineered to accommodate full electric (BEV), hybrid (HEV), petrol (ICE), and hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) powertrains, epitomising Toyota's "multi-pathway" technology strategy. Furthermore, Toyota displayed a comprehensive spectrum of land, sea, and air mobility solutions, from quadruped walking robots and AI-assisted children's mobility devices to low-altitude aircraft and autonomous catamarans.

Nissan brought models including the all-new mid-to-large MPV Elgrand (powered by third-generation e-POWER hybrid technology) and the next-generation Leaf electric vehicle. Honda showcased the 0 Saloon sedan, the 0 α entry-level SUV, and the production-ready Super-One prototype. Meanwhile, Mazda unveiled the next-generation CX-5 alongside two concept cars, highlighting its two-pronged strategy of updating traditional ICE models while accelerating electrification exploration.

Breakthrough Presence of Chinese Carmakers

A major highlight of the 2025 Tokyo show was the extensive and strategic participation of Chinese carmakers and supply-chain players.

BYD mounted an unprecedented presence with dedicated dual pavilions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. For passenger vehicles, it exhibited the Yuan PLUS, Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 06 DM-i, and the Yangwang U9 electric supercar; its commercial arm debuted the T35 electric light truck and a dedicated electric Kei car, the Racco. Tailored specifically for the Japanese market, the Racco is equipped with a 20 kWh lithium battery pack offering a WLTC range of 180 km and 100 kW DC fast-charging capability, scheduled to hit the Japanese market in summer 2026. This model takes aim directly at the core of Japan's domestic market—where Kei cars account for nearly half of total vehicle sales, governed by strict dimensional limits of under 3,400 mm in length, 1,480 mm in width, and engine capacities below 0.66L. Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki candidly noted regarding this, "BYD poses a tremendous threat".

Other Chinese Highlights: The Zeekr 009 luxury MPV made its debut via a local Japanese distributor, targeting executive chauffeur and high-end family buyers. Autonomous driving tech firm QCraft made its Tokyo debut by showcasing its Level 4 autonomous Robobus alongside full-stack autonomous solutions, becoming the first enterprise in the Japanese market to offer professional after-sales support for Level 4 autonomous driving products. Meanwhile, Thundersoft supplied foundational smart cockpit architecture for the debut vehicle from Japanese IT giant SCSK.

Significance of the Nissan N7: Nissan showcased the N7 electric sedan—led and developed by its Chinese R&D team—at the Tokyo show for the first time to gauge Japanese consumers' reception toward Chinese-developed Nissan models. This highlights a fundamental shift in China's automotive industry, moving from pure contract manufacturing to end-to-end product definition and execution.

Transformation and Industry Significance

The rebranding and structural pivot of the Tokyo Motor Show into a "mobility show" reflects how traditional motor expos are adapting to sweeping automotive industry disruptions. Amid a global downturn in the influence of traditional motor shows, exhibitor numbers at the Tokyo event have recovered relative to pre-pandemic levels; however, its distinctly domestic-centric character remains evident, with local Japanese marques dominating the floor and international brands maintaining a limited presence.

Industry analysts note that traditional motor show pillars—global model premieres, technical exchanges, and brand showcases—are increasingly decentralised by fragmented digital media channels and shifting market重心. With China establishing itself as the world's largest new energy vehicle market and the epicentre of automotive transformation, Tier-1 Chinese motor shows like Beijing and Shanghai have largely eclipsed the traditional "Big Five" global expos as the primary launchpads for new vehicle world debuts. The evolution of the Tokyo Motor Show serves as a vivid reflection of this global automotive power shift—as industry commentators remarked, "True industrial competitiveness is never about the spectacle of an exhibition hall, but the tangible commercial and technological substance of products in the marketplace".