Struggling Tokyo Motor Show Shifts Gears, Pitches Itself As Tech Show

Though 2011's attendance of 842,600 visitors was an improvement of 37 percent over 2009, the overall trend is downward from 1.43 million visitors in 2007. The height of attendance for the show was in 1991 when the 15-day exhibition ushered in 2.02 million patrons. The show later shrunk to 13 days, then to ten, in response to shrinking demand.

So what's an auto show to do? According to an Automotive News report, the answer is to remake itself. The theme for Tokyo Motor Show 2013 has been announced as, "Compete! And Shape a new future." According to the press release provided, "The theme represents the desire to have visitors experience a future that doesn't yet exist anywhere and is shaped by vying values, such as beauty, technology, and dreams."

Part of that effort is the Smart Mobility City project, displaying high-tech methods of how cars can connect to one another. Japanese carmakers are looking to be the leader in the interconnectedness of cars in the future. Features like smart electric grids and interactive infotainment systems are among these technologies. According to the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers (JAMA), "Passions that thrive on cars, motorcycles, and their technologies, are brought together in a friendly competition to shape the future."

Perhaps this direction is the one the Tokyo show must take in order to regain relevancy, in the midst of shows like Shanghai and Beijing increasing in popularity. The Tokyo expo has been struggling for relevance not just with show patrons, but also with foreign automakers, who have been increasingly unwilling to debut concepts and new models – or even buy displace space at all – in a market where consumers don't buy many foreign-branded autos.

The 43rd Tokyo Motor Show will be held November 22 through December 1, 2013.