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2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Image by Nissan.

photographs

2013 Tokyo Motor Show

And to Japan, for the most fun motor show of the year. It's more significant than ever too.

   

OUR SHOW ARTICLES BY BRAND
   Honda
 Lexus
 Mazda
 Mitsubishi
 Nissan

  Subaru
 Suzuki
 Toyota
 Yamaha

 

SHOW PHOTOGRAPHS BY MODEL
  VTEC Turbo engine range (3)
Alpina B4 BiTurbo Coupe (5)
Daihatsu Deca Deca minivan (1)
Daihatsu FC-Deck Concept (1)
Daihatsu Kopen concept (17)
Daihatsu Tanto (1)
Daihatsu XMZ Kopen concept (1)
Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid (1)
Honda at the Tokyo show (19)
Honda Civic Type R prototype (7)
Honda N-WGN (1)
Honda NSX prototype (2)
Honda S660 concept (7)
Honda Uni-Cub Beta (1)
Honda Vezel compact SUV (7)
Honda Vezel Hybrid (1)
Isuzu mu-X (1)
Jaguar F-Type Coupé (1)
Lexus LF-NX concept (6)
Lexus RC (15)
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition (37)
MINI (25)
MINI Cooper S (4)
Mitsubishi at Tokyo (3)
Mitsubishi Concept AR (2)
Mitsubishi Concept GR-HEV (1)
Mitsubishi GC-PHEV concept (4)
Mitsubishi XR-PHEV concept (8)
Nissan BladeGlider concept (48)
Nissan GT-R (16)
Nissan GT-R Nismo (15)
Nissan GT-R Nismo sets Nurburgring record (33)
Nissan IDx Freeflow concept (43)
Nissan IDx Nismo concept (55)
Nissan March Nismo (2)
Porsche Macan (1)
Porsche Panamera Turbo S (1)
Subaru BRZ racer (3)
Subaru Cross Sport Concept (8)
Subaru Levorg (13)
Subaru Viziv concept (6)
Suzuki at the Tokyo show (5)
Suzuki Crosshiker concept (2)
Suzuki Hustler concept (7)
Suzuki i-V4 concept (1)
Suzuki x-LANDER concept (2)
Tokyo Motor Show (10)
Toyota Aqua concepts (3)
Toyota at the Tokyo show (5)
Toyota FCV concept (5)
Toyota FT-86 Open Top concept (6)
Toyota FV2 concept (3)
Toyota JPN Taxi Concept (7)
Volkswagen Twin up! concept (25)
Yamaha MOTIV e (16)
 
photographs

 

Motorshows homepage -> 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

2013 Tokyo Motor Show - Paul Healy and Shane O' Donoghue



Daihatsu

Daihatsu   Daihatsu disappeared from European markets years ago, but it is hoping that its Tokyo Motor Show offerings will rekindle interest in the brand. Though not called as such, the Kopen concept is a reborn Copen convertible - a Volkswagen up!-sized two-seat drop top that is powered by a 660cc three-cylinder engine. The XMZ is also Kopen-based, but seems to create a niche that neither Audi nor BMW have thought of yet - that of the baby SUV roadster. It also has easily removable and replaceable body panels for when you get bored of the colour.

Honda

Honda   Like Daihatsu, Honda has also turned to its past for inspiration with the result being the S660 Concept - a spiritual successor to the Honda Beat. Honda also unveiled the production version of its new compact crossover, called the Vezel in Japan. It's a Nissan Juke rival based on the Jazz supermini and will be powered by the company's new 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo petrol engine, plus the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel by the time it gets here. There was also a plug-in hybrid version of the Accord saloon (primarily for the American market).

Lexus

Lexus   The big draw on the Lexus stand is the RC Coupé, a car that has been directly inspired by the LF-CC concept and has both the Audi A5 and BMW 4 Series in in spindle grille sights. Two versions - the RC 350 with a 3.5-litre V6 and the hybrid powered RC 300h - were shown in Tokyo, but there are suggestions of a 450hp V8 engined model in the pipeline. That or a BMW M4? The Tokyo Motor Show also gave us a second chance to see the LF-NX SUV concept that debuted in Frankfurt, this time with a new turbocharged petrol engine to distract from its 'divisive' styling.

MINI

MINI   The all-new MINI officially made its debut at the plant in Oxford on what would have been Alec Issigonis' 107th birthday, but the car was shown to the world at both the LA and Tokyo motor shows. While the looks are similar to the outgoing model, the car is all new with the biggest changes being under the bonnet where BMW debuts its new range of 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engines.

Mazda

Mazda   Considering the Mazda6 racer was the first diesel powered car to win a Grand Am race in the States, it was only a matter of time before it cashed in on the success. The Atenza (Japanese for 6 it seems) Racer debuted in Japan with new aero parts, engine upgrades and Brembo brakes. The estate version of the 6 will receive similar treatment to spawn the Wagon Grand Touring Concept, which seems a funny way to spell 'MPS 6' but what do we know? Away from the 6 Mazda also rolled out a 'dual-fuel' version of the 3 hatchback that is capable of running on both petrol and compressed natural gas (CNG). As we do not have much of a CNG infrastructure it is unlikely to upset too many rivals, but a hybrid powered Mazda3 may just have the Lexus CT 200h shaking in its boots.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz   We shed a tear as the SLS AMG Final Edition was wheeled out onto the stage in Tokyo (and simultaneously, LA) but were instantly cheered up as the 630hp BiTurbo V12-powered S 65 AMG that followed it. We always thought the regular S 63 was a bit wimpy...

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi   Mitsubishi brought a trio of cars to the Big Sight; two of them plug-in hybrids. The first of these is the GC-PHEV full-sized hybrid that may preview a replacement for the Shogun, while the XR-PHEV crossover gives us our first look at Mitsubishi's planned Nissan Juke rival. Both cars are expected to be powered by a version of the plug-in hybrid system due to be launched in the Outlander. The third vehicle is the AR - a seven-seat SUV/MPV crossover that will use a downsized turbocharged petrol engine.

Nissan

Nissan   There must be something in the water around the plant in Yokohama as the brand we would normally expect to trot out a range of crazy EVs has gone sports car crazy for the Tokyo Motor Show. First up is the long awaited Nismo tuned GT-R. The standard GT-R is no slouch but the 600hp Nismo version has just lapped the Nürburgring faster than any other volume production car in the world. Bizarrely, we are even more excited by the BladeGlider concept. The radical looking electric sports car has clearly been inspired by the Deltawing Le Mans racer and is expected to be loaded with LEAF Nismo RC electrical components. The reason we are excited is that Nissan actually wants to put it into production. However, trumping both of those is the IDx concept twins, revealed in regular and Nismo flavours, and hopefully previewing a retro new model of the near future.

Porsche

Porsche   Get your cheque books ready as the Porsche Macan is almost here. The 'entry level' Porsche aims to take buyers out of their Audi Q3s and BMW X3s with a price of £43,300. Three turbocharged six-cylinder engines will be offered at launch (a 260hp 3.0-litre V6 diesel, a 340hp bi-turbo V6 in the Macan S and a 400hp 3.6-litre V6 in the Macan Turbo), but more engines are expected in time. Coming in almost £100,000 more expensive than the Macan will be the 565hp Panamera Turbo S, but that is unlikely to put off too many in the market for a 4.8-litre V8-powered super saloon.

Suzuki

Suzuki   While Land Rover is still faffing around with the Defender replacing DC100 Suzuki has stolen a march with the X-LANDER concept. Basically a scale model of the DC100, it previews what a Jimny for the 21st century may look, but as the concept is a hybrid it is likely to remain just that - a concept. More likely to make production is the Crosshiker. This crossover-cum-coupé is about the same size as a city car, but its jacked up suspension means occupants will have a clearer view of the road ahead. The unfortunately names 'Hustler' (we have to assume Japan does not get Larry Flynt's eponymous magazine) is a slab-sided box on wheels in the mould of the Honda Element. It will likely work on busy Tokyo streets but little else besides.

Toyota

Toyota   Toyota takes the fuel-cell baton from Honda (which has been working on the FXC Clarity for years) with the FCV in Tokyo. Set to go on sale (in limited numbers) in 2015 the FCV runs on hydrogen that is converted to electricity through a chemical reaction. Toyota says the car will have a range of up to 300 miles and can be refuelled in less than three minutes, which makes the four-hour wait for battery electric cars to recharge seem 'shocking'. I'll get my coat... The FCV is positively normal compared to the FV2 - the big T's latest take on personal mobility. Looking not too dissimilar to a Sinclair C5 from the 1980s the FV2 does not have conventional controls and instead relies on inputs from the driver's body movements. Curiously, though we were told that the open-topped GT86 has been canned, the FT-86 Open Concept was on hand in Tokyo with a working fabric roof. And then there's the JPN Taxi concept, a smaller, very Japanese take on the black cab.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen   The Twin-up! hybrid concept takes the mighty XL1's powertrain on board to create a 257mpg Volkswagen up! city car with an electric-only range of 31 miles. It was on show in Tokyo.








 

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