2022 Tokyo Auto Salon – Nissan Fairlady Z Proto Spec and Caravan Mountain Base Concept

By Steve & Tamami Laser

The Tokyo Auto Salon wrapped up its 40th anniversary show at the Makuhari Messe convention complex in Chiba on Jan. 16. This year’s show was described as the first-ever “hybrid,” offering a combination of both onsite and online formats.

Show organizers announced attendance of more than 126,000 people, with 366 exhibitors, 712 vehicles on display, a total of 3,318 booths, and more than 426,000 live streaming views. This story highlights the Nissan display.

Nissan

Fairlady Z

Nissan presented the Japan-market intro of the next-generation Fairlady Z at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The new Z was first unveiled in prototype form at the Nissan Pavilion in Yokohama in Sept. 2020. Production models of the new Z for the U.S. market were shown in New York in Aug. 2021.

The new Z will keep the Fairlady Z nameplate for Japan when it goes on sale in June. Makoto Uchida, CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., is shown above at the Tokyo Auto Salon with the Fairlady Z Proto Spec model, a special edition, offering 240 units for enthusiasts in Japan. (As we previously reported, Uchida’s first car, that he purchased nearly 30 years ago, was a Fairlady Z.)

Inspired by the prototype revealed in Yokohama, the production Fairlady Z Proto Spec features a yellow and black exterior, Rays 19-inch forged wheels, yellow brake calipers, and of course, Fairlady Z badges.

The interior includes leather and suede-like trimmed seats, with yellow accents throughout the cabin. Offered in base, S, ST, and Proto Spec models in Japan with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, each trim can be fitted with a 6-speed manual, or 9-speed automatic transmission.

Meanwhile, since the Tokyo Auto Salon is a custom car show, Nissan revealed its own new customized version, called the Fairlady Z Customized Proto. This one-off vehicle is designed to showcase heritage-inspired exterior styling treatments.

The orange exterior color is said to be reminiscent of the legendary Fairlady Z432R, including black accents. Special equipment on the Customized Proto includes a unique front fascia, alloys, fender flares, white-letter tires, and a large rear spoiler.

Caravan Mountain Base Concept

Nissan introduced the cool Office Pod concept during last year’s Virtual Auto Salon. Equipped with a custom, slide-out mobile office, the concept was based on the Nissan NV350 Caravan.

At this year’s show, Nissan rolled out a new Caravan Mountain Base concept, built on the Caravan Premium GX. Taking the idea of a “base camp” to the next level, the concept caters to outdoor adventure-seekers, with a woodgrain design reminiscent of a classic mountain lodge.

Fitted with high-tech features, the concept includes a roof-mounted movable solar panel with solar-tracking photovoltaic cells, and perovskite solar cells mounted along the sides of the van, replacing the side windows.

Additional customized exterior mods include a protective, tough-textured body finish, retro-inspired woodgrain body wrap, and deicing headlight film heater.

Inside, the Caravan Mountain Base concept features a compact workstation, utility-style walls with wooden finish displays, surface speakers in the headliner, a power rear window shade, portable battery photovoltaic system, plus a digital fireplace to help passengers relax when parked for camping.

Note: Some vehicles in this story are concepts. Features, specifications, and launch timing for Japan market production models are subject to change without notice.

News sources and photos courtesy of Nissan Motor Corp., Nissan Motorsports International (NISMO), and Tokyo Auto Salon Association (TASA)

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