Automotive World 2014, a combined exhibition of four specialized shows held in Tokyo, Japan, concluded on January 17 with a 20% growth in scale.

Combining the 6th International Automotive Electronics Technology Expo (Car-Ele Japan), 5th EV & HEV Drive System Technology Expo (EV Japan), 4th Automotive Weight Reduction Expo and 2nd Connected Car Japan, Automotive World 2014 hosted a total of 432 exhibitors from January 15-17, representing a growth of nearly 20% compared to the 2013 edition. Of the sum, 17.1% were overseas exhibitors.

The number of visitors totaled 18,469 over three days.

Automotive World gathered Tier One automotive manufactures and systems suppliers in Japan. The list includes Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, GM Japan, Keihin, Denso, Hitachi Automotive Systems, Continental, Bosch, Magna, etc. It attracted visitors not just from Japan but also from abroad, such as Hyundai Motor, GM Korea, LG Electronics, Guangzhou Automotive Industry Group.

Featuring one of the hottest topics - Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Drive, the new zone "Driver Assistance/Autonomous Driving System Zone" was launched inside CAR-ELE JAPAN this year. A large number of demonstrations and interactive exhibits of autonomous driving technologies were seen inside the exhibit halls.

Also, at the special exhibit "Autonomous Vehicle Exhibit Corner", vehicles equipped with their latest autonomous driving technology were exhibited.

Weight reduction is the buzz word in automotive industry, and not surprisingly the 5th Automotive Weight Reduction Expo reported a 35% growth in scale this year. Renowned material companies like Toray, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, Victrex, etc. took stage to present innovations in material science that contribute to lightweight construction.

Complementing the exhibition, 52 seminars were held concurrently, attracting 4,283 industry players. The most popular session was the Keynote Session under the theme "Automotive Industry Revolution: A Future Driven by Next-Generation Vehicles".

Soichiro Okudaira, Senior Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, presented "Toyota's Development Toward Realizing Sustainable Mobility"; David Mark Pascoe, Vice President of Engineering and R&D, Magna International Inc, talked about "Car of the Future - A Supplier's Perspective"; and Sven A. Beiker, Executive Director of Center for Automotive Research at Stanford, Stanford University, gave a speech on the topic "Automated Vehicles - They are coming, but they might not be exactly what we expect".

The next show, Automotive World 2015, will take place from January 14-16 next year with another fair, the 1st Automotive Components Processing Technology Expo being launched. The organizer, Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd, expects the total scale will increase by 10%.