Yamaha highlights ‘futuristic’ models at Japan Mobility Show
The mostly automotive-focused Tokyo Motor Show was rebranded this year as the Japan Mobility Show, going beyond cars alone to draw a variety of companies to exhibit and present visitors with a look at what life could look like in the future.
Yamaha Motors exhibited various motorcycles, electric commuter vehicles, and more, including six new models. Throughout the event, Yamaha Motors collaborated with Yamaha Corporation, leveraging their cutting-edge audio technologies as well.
At the show’s press conference, Yamaha Motor President Yoshihiro Hidaka and Yamaha Corporation President Takuya Nakata spoke of how both musical instruments and motorcycles can become more than mere objects, turning them into companions instead.
Man and Machine
The new models revealed included the MOTOROiD 2, an experimental motorcycle pushing the idea of close partnerships between humans and their machines, and the TRICERA, an open-top electric autocycle with three-wheel steering.
The two Yamaha presidents shared how both motorcycles and musical instruments can turn from tools into companions and how while both require training to operate or play well, that process is also part of the fun, and once you get good at it, they become even more rewarding.
A stage was set for the Japanese manufacturer’s TY-E 2.2 electric trials bike to perform, hinting at the potential for indoor-based motorsports and mobility entertainment. In addition, the Yamaha Tomorrow Parade featured motorcycles and commuter models equipped with the Advanced Motorcycle Stabilization Assist System (AMSAS) as well as MOTOROiD 2 moving around the stage with a dance troupe.
As one Yamaha representative shares, “It was like getting a peek at the future when I saw MOTOROiD 2 moving in step with the dancers, almost like an owner and their faithful pet.”
The shift in orientation to a “mobility show” instead of a “motor show” allowed for a variety of models to be exhibited by each company. To this extent, Yamaha’s booth exhibited a wide range of mobility vehicles and technologies demonstrating the company’s solutions to various societal issues, from a mobile cobot and next-generation electric boat control system to automated guided vehicles for factories.
