Category Archives: News
Honda’s ‘Cub House’ is a motorcycle showroom that feels like a café
Honda has opened up a new type of motorcycle shop in Japan. Rather than the cold feel of a typical dealership and service center, the adorably named Cub House has an upscale yet nostalgic feel. The location in Toda City, … Continue reading
Honda and Nissan will soon announce team-up of some kind
Honda and Nissan broached a merger in 2024, but the talks blew up spectacularly before any sort of agreement could take place. A lot has happened in the two years since and now Honda’s CEO is hinting that a collaboration … Continue reading
Driving a stickshift helps stave off dementia, says Japanese neuroscientist
One of Japan’s most famous researchers on the human brain has declared that driving a car with a manual transmission can help keep your brain health up. Apparently the extra thought required to coordinate between your four limbs while you … Continue reading
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QotW: What’s your best story about buying or selling a car via auction?
Today, June 29, is Real-Time Used Car Auction Day in Japan. It commemorates the anniversary of the first time dealers across the country could bid on a car live. The inaugural auction took place long before the world wide web … Continue reading
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Honda is bringing back the Element as a Bronco Sport competitor
Honda is reportedly planning to revive the Element after what will be, by the time it debuts, an 18-year absence on the market. Details are sparse, but the resurrected Element nameplate will go on a hybrid crossover that will split … Continue reading
ND to FD: A body kit to convert your Miata into an RX-7
The ND Mazda Roadster is already a good-looking and curvy car, a design feat that’s pretty difficult achieve on a small platform. Its lines evoke a natural connection to the very curvaceous FD RX-7. They pair so well, in fact, … Continue reading
Here’s Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda doing the viral boat race dance
Despite helming the biggest car company in the world Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda never fails to have a good time. Whether he’s racing under his alter ego Morizo, trolling the press by showing up at a rally event in a … Continue reading
The Toyota TE27 nose works surprisingly well on a Suzuki Jimny
We’ve seen all manner of Nissan nose swaps. There’s the Hakotora which takes a C10 Skyline mask and puts it on a Sunny Truck. But there’s also the Sunny nose on a Suzuki Carry or the R32 Skyline kit on … Continue reading
Congrats to Toyota on their first ‘real’ 24 Hours of Le Mans win
Toyota claimed its sixth 24 Hours of Le Mans victory over the weekend, tying Bentley to become the fourth winningest manufacturer in the race’s history. Until this year, however, Toyota never succeeded against any real competition. For 2026, it had … Continue reading
Japan’s carmakers to jointly relax standards for what makes a part defective
It’s well known that Japanese carmakers employ the highest quality standards in the entire industry. Parts with even the smallest defects are discarded, ensuring that the finished product will be the benchmarks by which all others are judged. However, due … Continue reading
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We regret to inform you that Mitsubishi has desecrated the Eclipse name even more
Mitsubishi has once again exhumed the Eclipse name and slapped it on a car completely unrelated to the sports coupe it originated with. We’re not sure what’s more incongruous, the fact that the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback is an electric … Continue reading
The 2027 Nissan Z comes with even more nostalgic nods
We covered many of the upgrades and throwbacks of the facelifted 2027 Nissan Z, but Nissan just pointed us to a few more that we missed. One of the coolest is the fact that the Performance trim wheels are inspired … Continue reading
The revived Nissan Primera nameplate has a lot to live up to
After nearly two decades, the Nissan Primera nameplate has been revived. Those expecting an SR20-powered sports sedan may be disappointed, though, as the Primera has been resurrected as an EV. While it shares a name with its predecessors, it likely … Continue reading
The Tommykaira ZZ returns with a modern facelift to show carmakers what’s possible
The last of the Tommykaira ZZ sports cars was built in June 2021. However, the hand-built Japanese sports car may seems to have risen anew at the Automotive Engineering Exposition in Yokohama. Strictly speaking, this isn’t a Tommykaira, but is … Continue reading
Mazda Miata’s new color is a departure from the green you know
Back in the days of print magazines, there was a Road & Track column in which the prolific British roadster fan Peter Egan searched desperately for the proper shade of British Racing Green to paint his restoration project (we can’t … Continue reading
QotW: How are your automotive new year’s resolutions coming along?
It’s June 1, which is New Year’s Resolution Recommitment Day. They call it a midyear milestone even though it’s not actually the midpoint of the year, but with summer starting it’s probably a good time to dig in to whatever … Continue reading
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The Mitsubishi Pajero will officially return in fall 2026
It’s official. Mitsubishi has announced that the Pajero will return by year’s end. The revived SUV will serve as the company’s flagship as it tries to rebuild its brand. Its comeback has been speculated upon since 2024, but we started … Continue reading
Nissan to open first NISMO Performance Center outside of Japan
Nissan has announced its first NISMO Performance Center outside of Japan. The facility will be located in Ferntree Gully, Victoria, about 45 minutes outside of Melbourne. Nissan states that the center will provide a direct link to the NISMO Omori … Continue reading
QotW: Why do you like cars?
Today, May 25, is Car Day in Japan. It was established by Yanase, one of the largest importers and dealer chains in Japan, in 2015 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding on May 25, 1915. One of … Continue reading
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