Tokyo Motor Show shines spotlight on eco-friendly cars

But Nissan’s target for sales of its commercially available Leaf electric vehicle are way below the predictions of chief executive Carlos Ghosn, who said Wednesday he remains hopeful especially if governments follow through on pledges to boost re-charging infrastructure.

“Electric cars is one of the pillars — not the only one — but one pillar of our technological development,” Ghosn said.

“We continue to believe that it will be a major component of the car industry.”

Nissan is also working on fuel-cell cars, but Ghosn said he was “frankly amazed” that rival automakers including Toyota see widespread commercial sales in the not-too-distant future given the lack of re-fuelling stations for hydrogen tanks.

“It’s very easy to have a prototype, but the challenge is the mass market,” Ghosn said.

Fuel cell vehicles are considered the holy grail of green cars because they emit nothing but water vapour from the tailpipe and can operate on renewable hydrogen gas.

The exhibition’s 43rd edition, which runs until Dec. 1, features 177 exhibitors including parts suppliers from a dozen countries.

But major U.S. automakers including General Motors and Ford, which have not attended since before the global financial crisis, are again staying away as are South Korean producers, with the exception of Hyundai.

The big European automakers will be looking to boost their presence in the world’s third-largest car market after China and the United States.

However, foreign brands hold a miniscule share — just 4.5 percent — of a market that saw more than 5.0 million vehicles sold in Japan last year.

That puny presence has long fuelled anger among U.S. and some European automakers, which say they have been effectively shut out of Japan through tariffs and other barriers.

The issue is an obstacle in ongoing free-trade negotiations.

Luxury German brands including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche, which have achieved significant success in Japan, are among this year’s attendees, along with Audi, Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot-Citroen, Britain’s Land Rover and Sweden’s Volvo.