To say there’s a strong tuner car culture for hybrids in Japan might be a bit too generous. Oh, there’s no doubt the Japanese love to modify the cars, but perhaps the term “customization” is more accurate. At this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon there was the usual selection of Prius model with wild bodykits and...
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Love Nissan GT-Rs? Then you most certainly would love the Tokyo Auto Salon. Featuring the latest tuning trends and most amazing race cars, much of the content on the show floor was GT-R related this year – although to be honest, the show is GT-R heavy every year. On display were plenty of modified GT-Rs...
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The team of racers assembled from the Nissan Playstation GT Academy earned themselves a remarkable honor at the Dubai 24 Hour race this weekend, finishing third in their class and 26th overall. All four drivers, Lucas Ordoñez, Jordan Tresson, Bryan Heitkotter and Jann Mardenborough, are GT Academy grads, having started out behind the wheel of virtual...
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Ever wonder what the next Toyota Supra will be like? So do we. Could it be some sort of high-tech hybrid, using all-wheel drive with an electric motor for the front wheels and a gasoline or gas-electric hybrid drive for the rear? We suppose so. You know… something like the GRMN Sports Hybrid Concept II...
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We’ve seen a lot of strange things come out of Japan’s aftermarket over the years, but this might be the most ridiculous thing yet. Relax Cabin, a Japanese aftermarket company, specializes in camper conversions and apparently thought Toyota Prius owners would have a demand for such a thing. We guess there’s a remote possibility that...
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With the launch of the CR-Z, Honda wanted to emphasize that hybrids can in fact be sporty, now the automaker is continuing to promote the idea in its home market with the Honda Sports & Eco Program. Essentially an amateur racing series it lets drivers compete using spec CR-Zs (outfitted with Mugen wheels and an...
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As popular as drifting has become in America, the sport’s home will forever be in Japan and a quick demo out at the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon gave us a reminder why. While we have plenty of fun listening to V8-powered Ford Mustangs and Chevy Camaros go at it sideways, this year’s TAS played host...
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At Japan’s annual Tokyo Auto Salon, they’d call our list of the Top 10 Worst Cars of SEMA tame. Sure we documented some atrocities during our time at North America’s largest aftermarket expo, but it’s hard to compete with a diorama of an army soldier apparently shooting baby dolls on the tonneau cover of a...
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Before the Toyota GT 86 was even officially revealed, the new sports car was out on the track competing. This particular car, on display for the first time at the Tokyo Auto Salon, was raced at the grueling Nurburgring 24 Hour Race in the Fall. A mildly modified version of the factory car, it sports...
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Built by Honda‘s Mugen tuning division in Europe, the on-again-off-again CR-Z RR concept is, at last word, off again. So weren’t we shocked then to discover not one, but two of the cars on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon. As much as we’ll miss its good looks of the CR-Z RR with its wide...
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Build by Toyota motorsports partner Gazoo Racing, the GRMN iQ Supercharger is just the sort of concept car that’s too wild to ever become a reality. Right? Wrong! To the surprise of, well, everyone, Toyota has announced it will offer a limited production of the car, which was unveiled in its second-generation prototype stage today...
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Aftermarket wheel manufacturer TWS Forged obviously liked what they saw when Toyota unveiled the Nurburgring Edition Lexus LFA. Sporting a more track-oriented aerodynamic kit and a functional rear spoiler, that package (even in its shocking orange paint scheme) now looks tame compared to the modified LFA on display at the TWS booth at the Tokyo...
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If you’re looking to make 53 mpg look a little cooler then Toyota in-house tuning division Modelista has you covered. The style-oriented arm of Toyota has just announced a new lineup of accessories for the Prius c, which is sold as the Aqua in Japan. Already looking like a slightly-cooler Yaris, the Prius c gets...
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Living up to its name, Subaru tuning company and race team Prova has unveiled its “Black Edition” BRZ sports car at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The wild tuner-car-meets-race-car gets matte black ground effects with orange pinstriping, matched out back by a significantly-sized matte-painted spoiler. Also of note are huge 19-inch Enkei wheels with sticky Michelin...
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The GT 86 will spawn a new legion of fanboys for the Toyota brand – a result it was purpose-built to achieve. And if there’s one thing die-hard automotive enthusiasts love more than spouting off engine and chassis codes, it’s factory performance parts. In this case: Toyota Racing Development… or TRD for short. With Toyota...
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Just a few weeks after the debut of the GT 86, Toyota tuners are getting a crack at the new sports car and showing what modified visions they can dream up at Japan’s largest aftermarket expo, the Tokyo Auto Salon. One of the very first machines is built by Toyota’s in-house Modelista tuning division, focused...
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The TRD 86, or the Scion FR-S, what ever you wanna call it, it’s a hot car. This year at the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon, the GT 86 will debut with some extra style thanks to the added TRD aero kit. The TRD kit adds a front lip with selected sections painted black as well...
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Honda has announced its lineup of vehicles for the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon, the automotive aftermarket expo of Japan. The Honda exhibit will feature a variety of models including automobiles, motorcycles, power products, racing vehicles and other highlights in order to convey the joy of mobility and motorsport excitement. Honda Access Corp., manufacturer of genuine...
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Scion Racing has made its 2013 FR-S Drift Car official at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Less than a week ago, we spotted photos of the same car testing, and our assumptions proved correct: This is the Formula Drift race car for Ken Gushi and the 2012 drift season. Built in collaboration with GReddy, the...
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Toyota‘s upcoming GT 86 hasn’t even gotten in the hands of the consumers yet, and already some interesting tuning options are being dreamed up. We’ll be receiving Scion‘s FR-S as America’s offering from Toyota, and already impressed with how it performs stock (read our review here), we can’t even imagine what the aftermarket will be...
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Nissan Europe and JRM Racing will be campaigning this fantastic looking GT-R NISMO GT3 at the upcoming Dubai 24 Hours race. As an official entry for Nissan Europe, the GT-R will be driven by four of Nissan’s championship drivers in 2011. Almost a dream team if you will, the four drivers campaigning this race car...
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A casual visit over to TRD Japan’s website reveals that the Toyota tuning arm will most certainly be bringing a modified version of the GT 86 to this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. We’ve already had confirmation that a TRD GT 86 is in the works, but we’re pleasantly surprised that it’ll be making its debut...
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Fox Marketing has been building project cars for over a decade now, and it appears that Nissan‘s Juke-R project has inspired them to tackle the funky crossover themselves. They’re not in the mood to one-up the Juke-R project though, as Fox Marketing has always specialized in building projects any real car enthusiast could do also....
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Nissan‘s Juke-R project may not be the favorite of Nissan executives, but there’s no denying the amount of brilliance that’s been packed into this custom crossover project. Now the team has a new bragging right, with the Juke-R being confirmed as the world’s fastest crossover. That’s probably not a huge surprise considering they shoehorned the...
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