# 16:29 21 October 2005 # NewScientist.com news service # Will Knight Cleaner, smarter automobiles are the theme for the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show in Japan, although high performance and downright wacky concept vehicles have also been revealed. Many of the designs on display at the show will never be made commercially available. However, the event provides insight into the importance many car manufacturers place on certain nascent technologies. With a handful of hybrid gasoline-electric and fuel-cell powered cars already on the market in the Japan and elsewhere, manufacturers sought to promote even more radical reduced-emission designs. Building on the popularity of the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid, Toyota demonstrated the Fine-X, a fuel-cell car with wheels that can be independently controlled, enabling it to rotate on the spot. The Fine-X also features wing-like doors that open upwards providing access to the front and back seats simultaneously. >> Read more @ NewScientist.com
I can't wait to see the Fine-X in person. It should be at the LA car show, however I don't see it on the web site. The same show where I fell in love the Prius.
That big wing door does not really look practical. Getting out in a parking lot with a car next to you or at a curb with a pole or something would not work. Unless it folds somehow to create a lower profile while opening and closing. From the picture though, I doubt it does.
My thoughts exactly, however since the door is hinged in the middle of the roof like a DeLorean it may not swing out so far. Lamborghini always had the right idea with the Countach, Diablo (my fav) and Murciélago where the doors roll forward, but not enough to get out comfortably. Too bad thier latest Gallardo opens like a standard car. I think mini-van style sliding doors are the way to go. [Broken External Image]:http://www.lambocars.com/dia/diavt9924.jpg [Broken External Image]:http://www.motordeaire.com/Img/Mini/Mini46.jpg
