japanese cars
Honda Micro Commuter Car Concept Revealed: 2011 Tokyo Motor Show
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One of Honda‘s numerous reveals today at the Tokyo Motor Show is a wild little concept car referred to as the “Micro Commuter Concept.” An EV designed for personal transportation it is a half-foot shorter in length than a Smart fortwo, but offers room for three thanks to a central diving position with a passenger…
Toyota FCV-R Concept Points to Production Fuel-Cell Vehicle: 2011 Tokyo Motor Show
Fuel Cell Vehicles that run on electricity and emit nothing but water vapor may sound like a pipe dream, but Toyota is reconfirming its commitment to making them a reality by 2015 with the new FCV-R Concept. Unveiled today at the Tokyo Motor Show, the FCV-R (Fuel Cell Vehicle – Reality & Revolution) is a…
Mazda Aims To Build Assembly Plant In Russia
Mazda aims to build a vehicle assembly plant in Russia as the automaker recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Russian firm Sollers for a new joint venture. Sollers, Russia’s industry giant, worked with many automakers, both domestic and foreign, to set up production and distribution channels throughout the country. Mazda’s future…
Toyota GT 86 [Scion FR-S]: First Live Photos
After revealing the first photos of the GT 86 sports car yesterday, Toyota has now released a selection of pics from the car’s first live showing. We expected the initial reveal to take place at the Tokyo Motor Show, but Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda apparently couldn’t wait, showing off the new light weight sports car…
Toyota GT 86 Video: Revolutionary Sports Car Hits the Streets
Just hours after the first photos of Toyota‘s game changing sports car first broke cover two videos of what we now know is called the GT 86 have been released. The first highlights the car’s many driver focused features with stunning scenery. The second documents the transformation from concept to reality and boldly proclaims “passion…
Three Days With the Nissan Leaf: An Emissions-Free Adventure in Tweets
New car reviews are often carefully crafted pieces of prose. They’re well thought out with plenty of reflection by the author about the vehicle’s relevance, its target audience and how it stacks up against segment rivals. What they lack, however, is a sense of authenticity that comes from unfiltered opinion and reaction. Where you can…
Suzuki Seeks Arbitration to Get Back Shares from Volkswagen
The honeymoon period didn’t last long for Suzuki and Volkswagen and now the Japanese automaker has filed for divorce. In an official statement Suzuki Motor Corp. has announced it will seek arbitration in an attempt to get back the shares the German auto giant currently holds in the Japanese small car manufacturer. “The arbitration proceedings…
Acura MDX To Be Built In Alabama To Offset Rising Yen
Honda announced today that they would use excess capacity at their Alabama plant following a $300 million investment in the facility. The investment will allow for a total of 340,000 units anually. Rising exchange rates are forcing Honda to devote more resources to North American production while reducing exports. Honda will shift their Acura MDX…
Autonomous Toyota Prius to Bow at Tokyo Motor Show
If you thought Google was the only one with an autonomous Prius, you’d be wrong. At the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota will show-off a self-driving version of its best-selling hybrid. At this year’s show, Toyota will participate in the “Smart Mobility City 2011” exhibit, designed to showcase the future of transportation. One of the…
Toyota FT-86 Teased in New Promo Video: Tokyo Motor Show Preview
In a week’s time at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota will unveil what might just be the most important car it will launch in decades. Sure the Camry makes the Japanese automaker plenty of cash and the Prius points to the future of the automobile, but if Toyota is going to succeed it needs an…
Subaru Crosstrek Announced as Brand’s New Entry Level Crossover
Subaru has confirmed that a successor to the Impreza Outback Sport will arrive next year, wearing the “Crosstrek” badge. Based on the XV model sold in other markets it is in most respects a high-riding version of the Impreza hatchback. The announcement was made by Subaru of America Executive Vice President Tom Doll at…
Nissan Juke-R Revs its 3.8-Liter Twin-Turbo V6 [Video]
22 weeks after the little Nissan Juke crossover was first abducted, the team of modern day Doctor Frankensteins from Nissan Europe’s technical partner, RML, finally released this video of their outrageous creation, the mighty and insane Juke-R. Proudly displaying their hard work before submitting the super crossover to rounds of shakedown and testing, the video…
Lexus GS to Get Smaller Hybrid Variant for Europe
Looking to compete against BMW’s 520d and Audi’s A6 2.0 TDI, Lexus is flexing its hybrid muscles and developing a smaller hybrid engine for its new-generation GS. Given its success in building and selling hybrid engines and models, it’s no surprise that Lexus is looking to add a smaller h-variant for the European market, which…
Subaru, Lexus Earn Top Honors in 13th Annual ALG Residual Value Awards
TrueCar, Inc. subsidiary, ALG, has announced the top spots for this year’s 13th Annual Residual Value Awards for mainstream and luxury brands with Subaru and Lexus taking honors respectively. According to historic data, vehicles from Japan have won 11 out of the overall 21 ALG awards, which is more than half of the honors. For…
Honda Civic GX Natural Gas Wins “2012 Green Car of the Year” Award
The 2011 Green Car of the Year award isn’t going to an electric car or a hybrid. The winner is the Honda Civic GX, a car that has an internal combustion engine, but that doesn’t burn any gasoline at all. That’s because it’s powered by natural gas. The Civic beat out the Ford Focus Electric,…
Infiniti Teases Extended Range Electric Sports Car Concept
Infiniti is preparing a stunning new concept car for the Geneva Auto Show, one that will use both a gasoline engine and electric motor, while taking strong design cues from the stunning Essence concept. Infiniti says the car is, “being created to extend the potential for high performance, low emission electric cars.” With Infiniti already…
Subaru BRZ STI Concept Video – First Look: 2011 LA Auto Show
Giving us our first look at what the production BRZ will look like, Subaru has revealed a concept version of the rear-wheel drive sports car at the LA Auto Show. Sporting styling and performance additions from the brand’s STI division, it’s hard to miss some of the add-ons. For a full-run down on the car,…
Nissan 370Z, Infiniti G37 Recalled For Faulty Windows
Model Year 2011-2012 Nissan 370Z sports cars and Infiniti G37 luxury coupes are recalled due to a programming error in the power window switch controller in select vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into Nissan’s auto-reverse power windows, which contains a sensor that can stop and reverse the windows when a blockage…
Subaru BRZ STI Concept is Tuned-up Without the Turbo (or AWD): 2011 LA Auto Show
A characteristically un-Subaru Subaru, the BRZ STI concept is our first look at the upcoming production sports car, which was co-developed with Toyota. Painted in typical WR Blue Pearl (the Subie fanboys wouldn’t have it any other way), as a concept, and an STI concept, it’s a wilder looking version of what we’ll expect from…
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Forbes Creates Worst Car Flops of 2011
Just as consumers purchase cars that best fit their lifestyle needs, automakers likewise produce cars that it believes are the best fit for the market. However, the devils are in the details and a jarring oversight can cause a product to flop. Last week, Forbes created a flop compilation of 2011. Enlisting the expertise of…
Toyota EV, Fuel Cell Concepts Point to the Near-Future: Tokyo Motor Show Preview
Toyota has revealed three new concept cars that it will officially debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, giving an indication of its green-car plans for the next few years – and beyond. Up first is the FT-EV III (Future Toyota – Electric Vehicle III). Based on the iQ, it uses a lithium-ion battery and electric…
Japanese Automakers Re-Start Production In Thailand
While Thailand is mostly known for sandy beaches, fake watches and other pleasures that need to be paid for in cash, Thailand has a strong manufacturing base, with many automakers producing vehicles and components in the developing nation. October’s flooding, which ravaged the Southeast Asian country, made a major dent in the production figures of…
Toyota FT-86 Engine Bay Revealed, Two Manual Gearboxes Available
More and more news and info on the Toyota FT-86 (Scion FR-S) continues to slip out ahead of its upcoming debut at the Tokyo Auto Show, and rather than spoil all the fun, it’s continuing to build anticipation. Along with new details revealed by Spanish car magazine Autopista (one of a select few outlets allowed…
Honda CR-Z “Type-R” Confirmed
Honda is moving ahead with plans to deliver a higher performance version of the CR-Z. In fact, according to a report by Temple of Vtec, CR-Z project leader Norio Tomobe-san has confirmed the car is already in development. The first rumors of a CR-Z “Type R” came from Honda itself, with the release of the…
