Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn poses with the Land Glider concept car after a news conference at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show in Chiba, east of Tokyo, October 21, 2009. [Agencies]

But the array of cars on display -- electric vehicles, plug-ins, futuristic hybrid sportscars -- were all designed to drive home the message that the Japanese are determined to take a decisive lead in green auto technology.

"The race to zero-emission has begun," Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Wednesday, driving on stage in a bullet-shaped electric vehicle.

Reporters got a preview Wednesday of presentations by Nissan and other automakers ahead of the event's opening Friday at the sprawling Makuhari hall outside Tokyo.

The show, which opens to the public over the weekend, runs through November 4. Parts-makers, tire companies, industry organizations and motorcycle manufacturers also have booths at the Tokyo show.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, is showing a plug-in Prius, which travels longer as a pure electric car.

A regular Prius hybrid delivers better mileage by switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Toyota leads in hybrids selling a cumulative 1.4 million Prius cars since its 1997 debut.