Enlarge the first picture and get an impression of this Tokyo Motor Show. Unbelievable how many accredited journalists and Nissan employees are waiting for the presentation. The hall is huge, only at the other end a Renault-sign to be seen. Nissan is with just over 8 percent 'only' number 3 in Japan, after Honda with a little more than 13 and Toyota with overwhelming nearly 55 percent.

Japan has space problems in central locations and the exhibition space covers just a third of Frankfurt's IAA with a nevertheless similar number of visitors. As highlight Nissan presents IMx concept, an autonomously driving crossover, of course, with electric drive. The new sales chief Daniele Schillaci swears, such a vehicle is available 'not only in the future, but in a few years'.

Maybe Japan's traffic is not quite comparable to Germany (videos 2 and 3). On a slightly larger area live as good 50 percent more people on a road network that is twice as large. Important maybe the general limit of speed at 100 km/h. 0.2 percent of new registrations in 2016 are pure electric cars, a good 2 percent diesel, but about 20 percent are hybrid vehicles.

The greater openness to new drive developments, encouraged by the automotive industry there and the more boring driving on a well-developed but wide road network with e.g. a third more cars, all that could result in a higher acceptance of autonomous driving. The IMx has two electric engines in front and rear with a total of 700 Nm and 320 kW (435 hp) and a range of 600 km allegedly. 11/17