Friday, Nov. 20, 1992 - North Shore News ~ 39

Touring Toyotas AMLUX showpiece

Japanese automaker goes all out with spectacular 14-storey complex in Tokyo

IMAGINE THIS: over 70 cars and trucks on display, a
“sensurround”’ theatre, a miniature demonstration factory,
and a computerized car selection system.

OVERDRIVE

Sound like a small-scale auto
show?

Wait, there's more: a Star-
bucks-stwle coffee shop, a full-
blown European restaurant, and a
fancy lounge. i: doesn't sound
like an auto show anymore, does
it?

Now throw in a smali ballroom
for sive music events and concerts,
a unique store specializing in
automutive videos, books and
magazines.

Pack all this into part of the
i4-storey building described by a
Canadian architect as a ‘‘spec-
tacular, eye-catching design,’’ and
we have the world’s largest
automobile showroom — Toyota’s
AMLUX in Tokyo.

Although I was in Japan for
only three days last week on a
business trip, 1 decided to escape
from the shopping-bonanza
district of Ginza to visit this
highly publicized showroom,
which opened about two years
ago.

Toyota’s aim was to create a
beautifully decorated showroom
where a visitor or buyer could

relax and enjoy their ‘time off""
from the busy, crowded street
outside.

Just open the entrance door
slightly, and you are immediately
reminded of Tokyo's factory-like
level of noise and smell.

Attracted to the interesting con-
cept cars, | decided to start my
“tour” with the first Moor,

Of the three concept vehicles
dispiayed, the main attraction was
the Toyota AXV-IV concept
vehicle. which was placed right by
the entrance on top of the turn-
table pletform. Through the ex-
tensive use of fight materiais such
as aluminum, aircraft-style
honeycomb structure panels, and
composite body, the micro-sized
AXV-IV managed te keep the
curb weight to an unbelievable 456
kg. Even though the engine is tiny
at just @.8-litre displacement, the
two-cylinder, two-stroke
powerplant with a supercharger
produces 64 horsepower, good
enough for a top speed of 170
km/h.

Having convinced tyself that
this is the type of car we may
have to drive 10 years from now,
I] proceeded to the entrance of the
AMLUX theatre.

- This theatre is unique in that it
is designed to stimulate four out
of the five senses of the human
body: a high resolution picture
(sight), stereo surround-sound
system (hearing), body-sonic
system (touch), and aroma system

‘which emits fragrance to match

the scenes in the movie (smell).
The fragrance system was suppos-
ed to emit a fairly strong scent
such as freshly brewed coffee dur-
ing the save-my-girlfriend-from-
the-bad-guys movie, but I
couldn't smell anything.

Either the machine was
malfunctioning, or I was losing
my sense of smell!

However, the body-sonic

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TOYOTA'S 14-storey AMLUX building is the worid's largest automobile showroorn with over 70 cars

and trucks on display.

system worked very well, violently
shaking my body during the car-
chasing scenes.

Still on the first floor, I headed
for the so-called Furure Studio,
where the computer teaches you
how to design and create a2 car
from scratch.

By following the instructions
from the computer, the user
chooses their own style and con-
figuration of the vehicle — !
chose a mid-engined, two-seater
sports car with a ‘‘cab-forward’’
look. Then after drawing the
outline of the car, I selected the
color and wheel type. After a

(em AFT

minute or so, the computer gener-
ated a CAD design of my future
sports car.

It was entertaining, and my
souvenir was a color print-out of
this David Chao Super Car.

I know | should be on the se-
cond floor by now, but I had te
visit the Dome Faciory. The
walk-through display shows how
a car is manufactured, from the
stamping process to welding,
painting, and final assembly. I
thought the simulated stamping
display and robotic welding
display, in particular, were very
well done.

The escalator rides to all the
floors weren't too boring, thanks
to the wall-mounted, movable
Media Wall, which consists of 16
33-inch TV monitors.

The second floor is a sports car
and RV (recreational vehicle)
floor. The latest Toyota MR2s
and 4Runners were displayed here.

The third floor was designed to
emphasize the city-style cars -- in
other words, trendy, stylish
coupes and sedans suitabie for city
driving. Here, cars like the Toyota
Camrys and Paseos — unlocked,

See AMLUX page 48

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