Japan’s 2026 Japan Mobility Show Bizweek opened at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Tuesday, with the country’s automakers emphasizing hybrids and alternative fuels rather than a large lineup of battery-electric cars. The business-focused event runs through Friday alongside CEATEC, and this year’s edition is not built around major new-model or concept-car reveals. Public-facing shows are scheduled to return next year, under the event’s alternating-year format.
The displays illustrate the Japanese industry’s multi-path approach to reducing emissions. Suzuki brought the Victoris SUV, intended for India and able to run on compressed natural gas or compressed biomethane, while Mitsubishi showed its Outlander plug-in hybrid. Daihatsu, a Toyota-owned maker of kei cars, presented a first-of-its-kind concept engine that burns ammonia and hydrogen together. The company says adding a small amount of hydrogen to gaseous ammonia could make the mixture usable in an internal-combustion engine. Battery-electric technology was more visible in autonomous buses and wireless charging systems than in passenger cars.
Paris offered a contrasting picture this week, with about 20 Chinese automakers—including BYD, Chery and Geely—showing their latest EVs. Chinese brands make up roughly one-third of the participating automakers, while European companies are also presenting new electric models. The article cites analyst Sanshiro Fukao’s view that the Chiba show does not reflect global EV trends, though Japanese companies have not abandoned the segment. Toyota, for example, sells the China-developed bZ3X with local partners; monthly sales are around 10,000, compared with about 55,000 Tesla Model Y sales in China in August.