Ai interview Kenji Okabe, Director of the show management, Reed Exhibitions Japan

The 3rd CAR-ELE Japan (Automotive Electronics Technology Expo), the 2nd EV Japan (EV and HEV drive system technology expo), and the newly launched Automotive Lightening Technology Expo will be held concurrently from the 19th to the 21st of January, 2011. The shows will be held at Tokyo Big Sight, Japan – while CAR-ELE is Japan’s only exhibition that specializes in automotive electronics, EV Japan is an exhibition that specializes in electric vehicles or EVs and hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs. The previous CAR-ELE and the first EV Japan held in January 2010 attracted more than 20,000 visitors. Automotive Lightening Technology Expo is the very first exhibition in Japan specializes in this filed.

“Automobiles today are expected to incorporate highly advanced environmental and safety technologies while being offered at ever-lower prices. To respond to this demand, automobiles themselves must go through an evolution. At the same time, however, ‘connectivity’ with the transportation environment, vehicle-related facilities and individual drivers is also a critical factor manufacturers must keep in mind in order to deliver further sophistication,” said Hiroshi Miyata Managing Officer, Toyota Motor Corp in the keynote session at the second CAR-ELE Japan.

The 2011 CAR-ELE Japan is expected to attract 400 exhibitors and will have special zones that focus on embedded systems/ software, electronics components/devices, testing, automotive components, in-vehicle systems, electronic materials and a zone for manufacturing and testing equipment/technologies. The visitor profile is expected to be, like in previous years, automotive manufacturers and automotive components manufacturers, including Beijing Automotive, Chery, Hyundai-Kia, Mahindra&Mahindra, Tata Motors, Audi, BMW, Bosch, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Daimler and Johnson Controls – apart from major Japanese manufacturers like Alpine Electronics, Mazda Motor, Honda Motor, Suzuki Motor and Toyota Motor, to name a few.

“Having a remarkable number of exhibitors makes CAR-ELE Japan the largest in Asia. Through the show, many overseas exhibitors have already made the first step to enter the Japanese and Asian markets. This is the best place for companies engaged in the automotive industry to broaden and strengthen their business in Japan and Asia,” say the show organiser, Reed Exhibitions, Japan.

EV Japan, since it is held concurrently with CAR-ELE Japan, attracts the same visitor base. “In recent years, most automotive manufacturers are concentrating on development and production of EVs& HEVs that could affect the fate of the company. EV JAPAN will gather all kinds of the core technologies; Motors, Inverters and Rechargeable Batteries. Attracting 20,000 visitors in charge of vehicle electrification from automotive/device manufacturers, EV JAPAN is recognized as a trade show for business where you could have technical consultations and business meetings,” says the show organiser.

Another aspect of the exhibitions is the concurrently-held technical conference where many senior automotive executives have speeches on the forefront of the industry. As stated previously, Hiroshi Miyata, managing officer of Toyota Motor Corp who spoke about car electronics’ contribution to the next automotive society’s development at the previous keynote session. And there was Minoru Shinohara, senior vice-president of Nissan Motor Co Ltd whose topic was ‘Toward New Mobility Society – Evolution of car electronics and Environmental Activities’. The keynote session also had Yuji Kawaguchi, managing director of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. whose topic was ‘Improvement of In-vehicle System Development to Deal with Advancement of car electronics’.

Automotive Industries spoke to Kenji Okabe, Director of the show management.

AI: What are some of the new features exhibitors and visitors can expect from the third CAR-ELE JAPAN and the second EV JAPAN?

Okabe: The scale of the shows will be increased remarkably. In the previous show we had 240 exhibitors in total, and at this stage we have almost confirmed that at least 400 companies will exhibit at the shows this year. What is more, for next year, the 1st Automotive Lightening Technology Expo which will be newly launched, and it is the first exhibition in Japan featuring the automotive lightening technology. Because of the enhanced values and substantial contents, we expect a significant increase in the number of visitors as well.

AI: Why is CAR-ELE JAPAN an important event for automotive OEMs?

Okabe: The advanced electronics technology is the key to realize the main themes of automotive technologies, which are “comfort”, “safety”, “environment” and “credibility”. The show features the specialized electronics technology particularly for the automotive industry. Therefore, it is a must-attend event for the automotive manufacturers.

AI: Similarly, why is EV JAPAN a must-attend for automotive OEMs?

Okabe: Among the 4 main themes, “environment” is the one that has been attracting most attention in recent years, it is unrealistic to develop further without environment solutions. Particularly, one of the most challenging technical problems for automotive manufacturers has been the cut of carbon dioxide, and the development of HEVs, EVs and fuel cell electric vehicle is vital for this issue and has become the most important theme for the future development. Therefore, EV JAPAN is highly recommended for the automotive manufacturers. 　

AI: What is the reason behind holding EV JAPAN concurrently with CAR-ELE JAPAN?

Okabe: Concurrently each other, the shows will cover all of the vital technologies which are necessary to realize all of the four themes – “comfort”, “safety”, “environment” and “credibility”.

AI: Tell us about some of the details on the technical conference we can expect at CAR-ELE JAPAN and EV JAPAN in January 2011.

Okabe: The program of the conference will be announced officially in November. What we can say now is that many of speakers are from globally well-known automotive manufactures and electronics set manufacturers, and they will bring us many valuable and interesting seminar topics.