What's Wrong With This Picture: Smaller, Lighter, Weirder, Suzukier Edition
The Tokyo Auto Show is coming, which means it’s time for Japan’s automakers to roll out their weirdest, quirkiest, most Japanese designs. An electric city car apparently inspired by a CD player? Check. A 1,600 lb, super-efficient compact? Actually, the Regina Concept (above) almost looks more French than Japanese to my eyes. Finally, the Swift EV Hybrid rounds out Suzuki’s Tokyo-bound lineup. What does it all say about Suzuki’s future? One theory is that here may be an electrified Swift on the market at some point. Another holds that in the future, humans will be replaced by compact discs.
To be perfectly honest, as with so many Japanese cultural artifacts and phenomena, I’m completely baffled. Luckily our East-West relations expert Bertel Schmitt will be on hand at the Tokyo Auto Show to help us figure it all out.
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I'd like to see an actual 3D mockup of the Regina. It has potential as a cute car that certain market segments would go for in Europe and Asia. The angle of the green paint at the bottom may look better if it was less steep. I think it would look better if it went from the same height at the rear to the height of the wheel axle (mid-wheel height) just behind the front wheels.
A strange love-child from an affair between Citroen and Chevrolet. Can't be inspired by the Citroen Ami 6, though, as that car has backward sloping rear glass. It is a straight rip-off of the original DS at (the rear). The front is straight off a Corvair.