Tokyo Auto Salon

The 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon, the year’s first major car event, is just around the corner and Honda just previewed a couple of really cool concept cars for the show. But they’re not what you’d usually expect from the Japanese carmaker. Instead of beefed-up Civics and funky kei cars, Honda created a couple of race cars based on the tiny E and N-One. To make things that much more ridiculous, the Honda E in question is a drag racer.

Whenever a carmaker takes out the good stuff out of its know-how box and spreads its on a new car, well, that’s when you know you’re in for a treat. That’s exactly what Toyota did with the GR Yaris, its second global GR-badged car after the Supra GR and at the same time a homologation model that will sometime in the future spawn a fully-blown rally racer.

If you’re attending the Tokyo Auto Salon on January 10, you can score a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT500 race car if you order tickets to the show early. No, you’re not getting an actual GT-R NISMO GT500 race car. Instead, you’re receiving a toy version of the racer courtesy of Japanese toy car maker Tomica. Pre-sale tickets for Friday, January 10, will cost 4,000 yen or around $37 based on current exchange rates. The cost of the ticket already includes the Tomica GT-R NISMO GT500. Costs of tickets for Saturday, January 11, and Sunday, January 12 add up to 3,000 yen or almost $28. If you’re not looking to score the Tomica GT-R NISMO GT500, the cost of tickets for January 10 is 3,000 yen and only 2,000 yen ($18.5) for January 11 and 12.

The Honda S2000 hasn’t been in production since 2009, but that’s not stopping Honda from celebrating the roadster’s 20th anniversary at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon in January. As part of the celebration, Honda is showcasing the S2000 20th Anniversary Prototype, a modern-day interpretation of the second-generation S2000 AP2, which was discontinued exactly a decade ago. Honda currently has no plans to revive the S2000, so the 20th Anniversary Prototype is most likely a special effects package that will be offered to existing owners of the S2000 AP2. The package includes a body kit, though there are reports that an upgraded suspension will also be included. Engine upgrades, however, are unlikely to be part of the package.

The Tokyo Auto Salon is one of the most unusual auto shows on the calendar year. Among other things, TAS plays host to a number of oddball creations from some of the most established automakers in the world. This year is no different. Nissan, in all its respected glory, is bringing the Juke Personalization Adventure Concept to the Tokyo Auto Salon. That doesn’t necessarily raise any alarms except for the fact that the Juke Personalization Adventure Concept is a muscled-up crossover wearing tracks instead of wheels. It’s not the kind of Nissan Juke you see every day, but it’s probably one you’ll need if you find yourself in a pickle when you’re outdoors in the winter.

The latest-generation Suzuki Swift looks surprisingly sporty, especially in Sport trim. But the little hatchback just got a bit brawnier for the Tokyo Auto Salon, where it will showcase a new livery as the Yellow Rev concept.

The new Suzuki Jimny may be boxier than its predecessor, but it’s definitely a cute looking SUV. This doesn’t mean that it’s not ready for the great outdoors and Suzuki just created a hardcore concept version to prove just that. Called Jimny Survive, it turns the cute, keicar-like Jimny into a mini Jeep Renegade Trailhawk.

It looks like Suzuki hit a jackpot with the Jimny. It has garnered a lot of attention, thanks to its small yet rugged off-roader status. Just when we thought we had seen it all and the excitement was slowly sinking in, Suzuki decided to play with the Jimny a little more, and the result is simply fantastic.

Automakers are gearing up for the Tokyo Auto Show, and it’s already proving to be a show of conceptual goodness. Outside of Mitsubishi’s interesting concepts Subaru will be in attendance with two pretty awesome concepts – the Forester STI e-Boxer and the Impreza STI. Both come wearing a beautiful helping of STI design to go with, most likely, limited performance. Here’s what we know about them so far.

The 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon is coming up quick, so you know it’s a guarantee that Toyota would show up with something outrageous wearing a TRD badge. And, it is, in the form of the Prius TRD, but we’ll leave that for another conversation. Instead, I want to tell you about the Toyota Hilux Black Rally Edition that has TRD written, literally, all over it.

We’ve been dreaming about a pickup truck version of the Lamborghini Urus ever since the luxury SUV broke cover, but we’re pretty sure the Italians won’t make one. Fortunately, the folks over at Nihon Automobile College in Japan created one for the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon. There’s a catch though, - it’s not exactly a Urus.

The Tokyo Auto Salon is nearing its arrival and Mitsubishi is prepared to tackle the show with not one, not two, but three concepts. The first one is based on the Delica D:5 and offers up a take on what an off-road-oriented model could look like. The other two concepts are based on the Outlander PHEV and Eclipse Cross, and both go by the name “Street Sport.” Information is still rather thin at this point, but here’s what we know so far.

Mazda seems to be on a roll these days. After attending auto shows all across the globe, the Japanese automaker finally returns to its homeland with a variety of models that it plans to unveil at the Tokyo Auto Salon next month. Can it spin the same magic and continue the good form here?

Subaru will join the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon next month with no fewer than six different cars, including a couple of concepts cars wearing the STi badge, one of which is the BRZ STi Sport. Although the BRZ STi isn’t exactly a new idea, the Tokyo-bound concept brings new features and may represent yet another step toward a production model with actual STi upgrades.

Details as to what it may bring to the table are scant and there’s just one picture to go by, but Subaru promises "exclusive exterior and interior parts," and more importantly, "STi-tuned driving performance." What that means is yet unknown, but the preliminary photo shows a BRZ with a more aggressive bumper, an STi badge, sporty looking side skirts, new multi-spoke wheels, and what seem to be red-painted Brembo brake calipers.

Hopefully the brakes aren’t the only upgrade in the drivetrain department and the BRZ finally gets the extra horsepower it deserves. If previous STi Sport models are any indication, the BRZ is also in for adjustable Bilstein dampers, firmer springs, and a revised power steering system.

The coupe won’t be the only STi Sport Concept shown in Tokyo, as Subaru will also showcase a version based on the WRX S4. The Japanese firm will also bring a Levorg and Impreza G4 with STi performance parts, the WRX STi NBR Challenge 2016 race car, which won two consecutive championships in the SP3T class at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and the BRZ GT300 2016 created for Super GT racing.

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Daihatsu may no longer sell cars in the United States and Europe, therefore making it a rather obscure marque on these continents, but it remains the oldest surviving Japanese manufacturer. What’s more, the brand is quite active in Japan and other Asian markets, where it builds and offers very small vehicles known as kei cars. Daihatsu’s current lineup of production models is quite big and the Japanese automaker just revealed no fewer than 11 concepts that will make their debut at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show in January.

Based on existing nameplates such as the Boon, Thor, Move, Copen, and the Tanto, the concept cars are separated into four categories, each being aimed at a certain type of customer. There’s Sporza for the sporty driver, Grand Custom for those who want a more elegant look, and Beach Cruisin’ and Cross Field for enthusiasts spending their weekends at the beach or on the road, respectively.

There’s no word whether any of these concept will become production models, but I can definitely see Daihatsu introducing new trim levels based on them. We should find out more at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, but in the meantime let’s have a closer look at what we already know in the article below.

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The Mazda MX-5 Miata has earned its place in automotive history as arguably the most successful compact sports car in the industry. It’s never had insane amounts of power, but its combination of size, performance, and versatility has turned into an all-time great. The model is over 25 years old and has seen four generations worth of changes; that longevity is another one of its most notable claims to fame. This year though, Mazda did something to the MX-5 that it hasn’t done in the model’s long and proud history. It reconfigured the sports car with a targa roof, christening it as the MX-5 Miata RF, and giving it an extra jolt life that it probably didn’t need on its way to becoming an all-timer. Not content with just introducing the MX-5 RF, Mazda is taking it to another level with the introduction of a special edition version of the Miata RF, called the RF Custom Style.

Scheduled to make its debut at the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon in early Januaryk, the MX-5 RF Custom Style is the first special edition treatment given to the new Miata variant. We all know that Mazda’s not bashful about giving the MX-5 special edition varieties – the just-announced MX-5 Arctic Edition is proof of that – so it’s not a surprise that it’s giving some of that love to the MX-5 RF.

In true Mazda fashion, the exclusive features of the Miara RF Custom Style aren’t just cosmetic by nature. It’s not just about making the car look racier than it already is. It’s about enhancing the performance credentials of the rear-wheel-drive, compact sports roadster and make it even more hellacious to drive on the track. It’s true that the RF variant of the Miata is heavier than the standard version on account of the retractable roof panel and the lift-up flying buttresses. Mazda didn’t specifically mention it, but there’s a good chance that added aerodynamic components on the RF Custom Style is Mazda’s way of addressing the extra weight and improve the car’s performance to “standard” Miata levels.

There’s no way of confirming that at this point because the automaker did not release the performance figures of the MX-5 RF Custom Style. The puzzle pieces fit though and in the absence of anything concrete, it’s worth establishing that there’s really more to the MX-5 Miata RF Custom Style than meets the (naked) eye.

The numbers should be impressive, but there is a always a downside when it comes to special edition MX-5s. More often than not, they don’t make their way to the US market and unless Mazda specifically says otherwise, don’t expect the MX-5 Miata RF Custom Style to find its way here too.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Mazda MX-5 Miata Custom RF Style.