Category Archives: Tokyo Auto Salon

Toyota may reveal electric or hydrogen-powered AE86

As the industry shifts to alternative fuels and some cities consider the ban of gasoline cars altogether, how will enthusiasts enjoy their classic cars? Some automakers, like Mini and Aston Martin, are working on electric motor conversion kits for their … Continue reading

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Nissan Z crossover is hopefully not a sign of things to come

Sorry to start the year with this, but a Nissan Z crossover is apparently scheduled to appear at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Called the Nissan Fairlady X (the letter “X” for “cross”), the car is being built by students at … Continue reading

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Classic Toyota Land Cruiser merged with J70 chassis is the ultimate FJ40 restomod

With enthusiasm for classic Land Cruisers at an all time high, it was only a matter of time before Toyota itself got in on the resto-mod craze. For the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon, they’ve Frankensteined a classic FJ40 with a … Continue reading

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See the nose-jobbed Nissan Z Customized Proto in action

Cars always look different in motion than they do standing still. Nissan has released a video of the Z432-inspired Customized Proto with its new and improved nose, and it’s worth a look. Well, technically it’s more of a computer render, … Continue reading

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Mazda RX-3 Wagon at Tokyo Auto Salon gives off Katayama vibes

While not quite as ambitious as the 6-rotor Eunos Cosmo, another Mazda that caught our attention from the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon was the show’s sole RX-3 Wagon. Done up in a touring car style that evokes the Savanna RX-3 … Continue reading

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Mazda Cosmo 6-rotor makes waves at Tokyo Auto Salon

One car that made a splash at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon was a JC Mazda Cosmo with a 6-rotor motor. Built by Anniversary Racing Factory, a rotary specialty shop in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, the engine consists of three … Continue reading

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Daihatsu had the best Tokyo Auto Salon display with ten generations of HiJet

The Tokyo Auto Salon is traditionally filled with over-the-top booths filled with over-the-top builds. But this year, it was humble Daihatsu that took the cake with a lineup of HiJet kei trucks that dated back to 1960. There were 10 … Continue reading

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Subaru 360 “Beach Van” charms its way to the kei car Grand Prix at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon

In a show where copious horsepower and dazzling bling overshadows less shouty cars, a humble Subaru 360 Custom has taken the Grand Prix for kei cars at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. Called the Subaru 360 Beach Van, it might … Continue reading

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Toyota Century “Lowrider Limo” wins Sedan Grand Prix at Tokyo Auto Salon

One of the most notable displays at each year’s Tokyo Auto Salon belongs to NATS, the Nihon Automobile Technical College. As students there learn automobile maintenance, repair, and customization, they get to build some of the coolest (and most fun) … Continue reading

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Nissan Fairlady Z432R-inspired Z gets a nose job at the Tokyo Auto Salon

Over the weekend the production Japanese-spec Nissan Fairlady Z was finally unveiled at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. Joining it on stage at the custom car extravaganza, in addition to the standard yellow and blue, was one very orange customized … Continue reading

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The stunning Toyota GR GT3 Concept gives us hope that the Mazda RX-Vision will be built

The Toyota GR GT3 Concept has just been unveiled at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, signaling the Big T’s intention to enter the GT3 class of touring car racing. The car is absolutely gorgeous, hands down the best looking Toyota … Continue reading

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TAS2021: Here come Daihatsu’s Tokyo Auto Salon cars

Daihatsu has officially taken the wraps off their 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon builds. We saw mock-ups of them last month, but now videos of the finished cars can be seen in motion, complete with jaunty music. This is probably the … Continue reading

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Daihatsu’s 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon lineup includes 60th anniversary Hijet camper, Copen speedster

The 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon has been canceled due to the recent COVID-19 spike, but carmakers will be showing their builds in an upcoming virtual event. Ahead of that, Daihatsu has revealed its lineup of five kei jidosha, including a … Continue reading

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The winners and runners up of the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon

The 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon was, like SEMA, largely a big ol’ Supra-fest. However, after the trophies were handed out there were a few highlights from the awards categories that defied convention. Like the teachers said in English class, you … Continue reading

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Toyota brought out stock and rally Celica GT-Fours to the GR Yaris debut

The Toyota GR Yaris seems like it will be an insanely awesome hot hatch, even if its connection to the Celica GT-Four is dubious. We said it smelled like a retcon, but we have to admit, when Toyota put all … Continue reading

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The Toyota 86 Black Limited Concept could mark the model’s final edition

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota had a pretty killer display that included a trio of Hachiroku. The purpose of the display was to show off a new prototype version of the Toyobaru 86 called the Black Limited Concept. For … Continue reading

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Here’s a kit to make the new Suzuki Jimny look like its great-grandfather

It should come as no surprise that the Suzuki Jimny is a popular car in Japan. It’s one of the coolest new cars you can buy there, and a vehicle whose purposeful engineering is at the core of its appeal. … Continue reading

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Even Honda yearns for its heyday with a 20th Anniversary S2000 and EK9 Civic for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon

It’s hard to believe but the Honda S2000 is 20 years old (For reference, when JNC started the AE86 was 21 years old, and it felt ancient). At the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Honda will be revealing a … Continue reading

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Tokyo Auto Salon: This Isuzu Elf was incredibly popular

Our final feature from the Tokyo Auto Salon is a vehicle that we probably would have walked right by, but proved immensely popular with our Japanese friends. Built by students at the Fukushima Science and Technology College, the 1990 Isuzu … Continue reading

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Tokyo Auto Salon: A Nissan Cedric stock car built by students

One of our favorite cars at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon was a humble Nissan Cedric sedan. Built by students at Tokyo Automobile University School, the car represented a brief period in the 1960s when Japan tried its hand at … Continue reading

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