Tokyo Motor Show 1989
The 1989 Tokyo Motor Show saw the Subaru SVX emerge to an astounded public in the form of a concept car. Comparitively little had changed in the basic style of the SVX over the past 5 years but more amazing was how little the 1989 Concept SVX differed from the one released for public sale in 1992.
The primary features of the 1989 Concept SVX were active suspension, 4WS and voice controlled navigation system with onboard display screen. All of these features did not make it to the production SVX, save for the 4WS system that was only released in the Japanese Domestic Market. For more information on the 4WS SVX, click here.
The onboard display screen, detailed below, is nothing new in Japan and cars such as the early model (late 1980's) Toyota Soarer had a cathode ray TV screen that could display TC signals in addition to possessing a touch-screen function for the TEMS suspension (Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension) and ancillary engine management details. By the just-superseded shape Soarer, the functions had become mind-blowing....and that was as far back as the 1992 Soarer!
1989 SVX Prototype Concept
Of all the SVX's through their various design and inception stages through to the production model, my favourite is the 1989 Prototype Concept SVX. I think it looks extremely aggressive and purposeful in addition to being packed with features!
10 September 2001
Click on the image at right to see a Japanese article on the Prototype SVX.
Thanks again to
Paddlesnz for his translation work.
