by Mike Kowdley, 2004-Jan-16

Tokyo International Auto Salon 2004

It's well known that both the Scion xA and the Scion xB, new in the US for 2003, have been around for a little while in slightly different forms in Japan for some time now. The Scion xA bears the "i.s.t." badge in Japan, and the xB is known as the "bB". Both use the Toyota nameplate in this land, and some folks on the show floor we spoke with hadn't even heard of Scion. Cruising around towns near to Tokyo we saw a fair number of bB's and a few i.s.t's. Interestingly, there are quite a few "breadbox" vehicles in Japan from manufacturers like Suzuki, Daihatsu, Daewoo, and noteably, Nissan's Cube and Cube 3, which are similar in size as well as shape to the bB (many of the others are quite a bit smaller than Toyota's).

So along with 250,000 other folks we decended on Tokyo's Makuhari MESSE, about 20 miles out of downtown Tokyo to see what there was to see.

The Auto Salon is similar in many ways to SEMA — it's primarily an aftermarket show, although all of the manufacturers are represented as well. But it differs in several ways: Tokyo is a consumer show, instead of just an industry show. The means it's pretty much jam packed with people everywhere you try to walk. Also, the Japanese consumer sees products almost exclusively geared towards performance and appearance, far fewer booths were oriented toward work/commercial vehicles. However, Japan seems to have quite a few automotive technical schools, and these were out in force with custom vehicles showing specialized engine, body, and A/V systems. And, for the enjoyment of show-goers, the lights, sounds, and performances (dancing, hip-hop music artists, and DJ's) were all taken to a level beyond what we've seen at shows around the US.

Overall thoguh, not too many (Toyota) Scion's made their appearances at the show. Toyota's booth had a nice i.s.t and a nice bB in it and a few other bB's were scattered around the three main halls. The pictures speak for themselves (mainly because we don't read Japanese), so, enjoy:

ScionZone.Com 2004 Tokyo International Auto Salon Photo Gallery