What's the news?

The 43rd Tokyo Motor Show opens on November 20 to the media and will be the stage for the unveiling of five rather bold concepts from Suzuki. Under the theme of "Small Cars for a Big Future", the concept cars will hint at potential models that could be put into production in the near future.

Crosshiker is a compact crossover that is supermini-sized, weighing in at just 810kg and is powered by a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine. On paper it could be capable of offering a good mix of performance and environmentally-friendly emissions levels.

The X-Lander is a rugged roofless four-wheel drive vehicle based on the Jimny powered by a 1.3-litre engine in conjunction with a lightweight hybrid system with an automatically controlled manual transmission. Styled with a rugged-looking exterior body and chunky off-road tyres, the X-Lander looks as much Tonka Toy as it does potential car.

Suzuki's Hustler concept has seemingly been created for a niche that has yet to be fully exploited - a crossover minicar - and has been designed to suit 'the active lifestyle of people who love the nature, love the outdoors, and love sports'. The Hustler continues the Japanese trend of rolling out cubist vehicles, though a coupé version, imaginatively named the Hustler Coupé, applies a gently sloping roof to design.

The fifth concept that will be shown is one we have already seen. The iV-4 is widely believed the give a strong indication of what the next generation Grand Vitara will look like. The bold front-end styling and heavily contoured side panels should be popular amongst younger buyers and would give Suzuki a stronger model to offer into the increasingly busy crossover segment.

Anything else?

The Tokyo Motor Show will take place at the capital city's Big Sight venue from November 20 to December 1.