Tokyo Motor Show

Kia glided through the design process of its latest coupe SUV concept, the Futuron, drawing inspiration from outer space. With Level 4 autonomy, this SUV with a "360-degree core" represents a look at the future of Kia design with its novel approach to the tiger nose front grille and the eye-catching Star Cloud headlights and taillights. In fact, the concept features light sources all over the luscious bodywork that suggests this EV’s got some grunt. Expect to see at least some cues inside and out on future models of the Korean automaker.

South Korea has quickly risen, in the span of about two decades, from the doldrums of the auto industry to the very top and concepts such as Kia’s Futuron (in itself a pun on the words "future" and "on") signals to the world that Kia plans to stay at the top in the foreseeable future by incorporating the latest EV technology coupled with autonomous systems, all draped in a futuristic body with clean surfaces but also aggressive ridges and angles. We like it if it’s a sign that the two-door SUV is bound to make a comeback.

Mazda is the latest entrant in the EV segment. The company has finally launched its first electric crossover in the form of an urban crossover. Moniker’d the MX-30, Mazda revealed the product at its home turf at the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show. From the initial impressions, the MX-30 looks like a mixed bag. We’ll hold our verdict till Mazda releases all the details about the MX-30. The Tokyo Auto Show was lukewarm at best and it was the perfect time to launch the crossover with pomp and fare and garner all the attention. But, Mazda has still not revealed everything about it. Missed opportunity? I think yes.

The 2019 Toyota e-Racer is a futuristic, open-cockpit sports car concept inspired by the world of racing. Unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the 2019 e-Racer stands out through three features. It has a sleek and aerodynamic design, the passenger seat is placed behind the driver’s, and it features augmented reality and a special pair of digital glasses. It was developed in cooperation with Gazoo Racing and it’s not scheduled to go into production.

The 2019 Nissan Leaf Twin-Motor is an all-electric concept car that features two electric motors and all-wheel-drive capability. It’s heavily based on the existing second-generation Nissan Leaf, as it features an identical exterior and a lightly modified interior. Unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the twin-motor Leaf concept previews a new production car that’s already in the works. According to Nissan, this new drivetrain will enable a future EV to "achieve a huge leap in acceleration, cornering and braking performance, on par with the latest sports cars."

The 2020 Mitsubishi Super Height K-Wagon is a concept car that the Japanese firm unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The show car previews Mitsubishi’s next generation of Kei wagons, most likely a replacement for the eK model sold on the Japanese market. The 2020 Super Height K-Wagon is a typical Kei wagon, featuring a boxy, tall body and bold styling features typical to these Japan-specific vehicles.

While all eyes are set on the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Skoda announced a brand-new crossover called the Kamiq GT. Previewed by a couple of renderings, the Kamiq GT draws styling cues from the Vision GT concept car. It’s obviously based on the already familiar Kamiq, with the main modification being a coupe-style roof. The Kamiq GT joins the Kodiaq GT, a coupe version of Skoda’s midsize SUV. And just like the Kodiaq GT, the Kamiq GT will be sold only in China.

Subaru has pulled the covers off the all-new Levorg wagon, ushering in the second-generation version of what has become one of the most popular wagons in Japan. The Subaru Levorg Prototype isn’t the final production model. It is, as Subaru deftly calls it, a near-production “prototype” of the second-generation wagon that will arrive in the Japanese market in the second half of 2020. The Levorg isn’t going to the U.S. market, but some of the new and updated technologies that are being showcased by the prototype in Tokyo will find their way to America in some form or fashion. In the absence of the actual wagon heading Stateside, we’ll take our victories where we can get them.

It’s been only two years since it introduced the CX-8 crossover and Mazda already unveiled an updated version at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. As before, the CX-8, essentially a seven-seat version of the CX-5, remains limited to markets like Japan, Malaysia, China, Australia, and New Zealand and won’t come to the United States. Let’s find out what’s new.

Lexus is not fooling around when it comes to electrification and is using Tokyo as a sampling experiment for the stunning LF-30 Electrified prototype. Did we mention stunning? The LF-30 looks otherworldly, has gullwing doors, and uses four in-wheel electric motors, a steer-by-wire-system, and a slew of autonomous driving technologies plus Lexus Advanced Posture Control. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about the Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept shown at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.

Subaru’s 2.0-liter engine, aka the EJ20, in Subaru terms, has been around since 1989 when it was introduced in the JDM-spec Subaru Legacy. Now, after 30 years, it’s time to lay a legendary engine to rest, so Subaru has decided to produce a special edition WRX STI known as the EJ20 Final Edition. It will be limited to just 555 models, but that doesn’t matter, because this beauty is available in Japan only at the price of 4,110 million Yen – about $38,000 at current exchange rates. Subaru will stop taking orders on December 23rd, but there’s a lot more to it than that, so let me fill you in on the finer details.

The Nissan Ariya Concept has arrived at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The all-electric crossover concept will take its place in Nissan’s booth in the show. But the Ariya Concept is far from a show car that will fall back into the shadows when the show ends. The Ariya Concept is a production-ready prototype that will eventually evolve to become Nissan’s second mass-market electric vehicle, joining the long-standing Leaf in that lineup. The production car — it will likely be called Ariya, too — will take plenty of cues from its concept counterpart. It’s not expected to hit the market until 2020, so for now, absorb everything you can absorb with the Ariya Concept. You’ll be seeing a lot more of the crossover in the near future.

One could argue that Mitsubishi is King of ridiculous concepts with at least one showing up to every auto show, and the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show is no different as Mitsubishi has introduced the Mi-Tech Concept. This concept is a futuristic take on the Dune Buggy (will we even have these in the future?) with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that’s paired with, I kid you not, a gas turbine engine. Now we know what those weird fans that we saw in the teasers are for. It also represents a new take on Mitsubishi’s grille design and, while it does look ridiculous in some respects, it’s not all fantasy and dreams. Here’s what you need to know about the Mitsubishi Mi-Tech Concept.