American & European Auto Makers
Could be Left Further Behind
Boyé Lafayette De Mente
Could be Left Further Behind
Boyé Lafayette De Mente
In boxing terms, American automobile manufacturers are now on the ropes and unless they can get their act together they could soon be on the canvas. New technology developed by Japan’s Ichikoh Industries Ltd., now makes it possible to eliminate side mirrors—allowing for a fundamental breakthrough in the exterior design of automobiles.
This new technology will make automobiles more aerodynamic and much safer than president-day cars, and given the philosophy and management practices of Toyota and other Japanese auto manufacturers they will be the first to have this new technology on the road.
Japan’s automobile designers have long wanted to have an alternative to side mirrors that would give them more freedom in the exterior design of cars, prompting Ichikoh Industries, a primary supplier of side mirrors, to come up with a substitute based on charge-couple-device (CCD) cameras and radar devices.
The company’s prototype vehicle using the new technology has a monitor inside the car built into the dashboard that gives the driver a 360-degree view around the vehicle—back, front and sides, day or night, and in all kinds of weather.
One of the most impressive features of the new system is that unlike mirrors which show only line-of-sight views, its cameras and infrared sensors lets the driver see areas around the car that are blind spots on present designs.
Ichikoh predicts that as soon as the first cars featuring the new interior view monitors appear on the market they will take off like a flash—leaving any car maker who still uses side mirrors far behind.
Another piece of high-tech pioneered by Toyota that is changing the basic design of cars is the use of LEDs in their headlights rather than the conventional system that requires the light source to be located at least 30 centimeters behind the headlight lens.
LEDs can be closer than 10 centimeters from the headlight lens, meaning there are many new options as to their shape and where they can be placed. One prototype created by Toyota’s headlight supplier (Koito Manufacturing), runs along the side of the hood of the car and is shaped like a samurai sword.
Another break-through in the basic design of cars that is planned by Toyota: small fuel cells and motors built into the wheels of cars.
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Copyright © 2007 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente
See the author’s website, www.phoenixbookspublishers.com, for a list and descriptions of his 30-plus pioneer books on Japanese business practices, culture and language. All of his books are available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers and retail bookstore chains.
