japanese cars
SEMA 2009: Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater a Tribute to Brooks and Dunn
1
Built as a tribute to country music duo Brooks and Dunn, Toyota unveiled the Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater at the 2009 SEMA Show. Out back, the truck’s bed folds out to reveal a complete tailgating station with countertops, a BBQ, an ice chest and even a draft beer tap. Oh, and let’s not forget an…
SEMA 2009: Toyota Tundra Hot Rod Gets Rock and Roll Treatment
Toyota and the Hot Rod movement aren’t two things you’d normally associate with each other, which is why a Hot Rod Toyota Tundra is the perfect concept vehicle for the SEMA Show. Built by Phoenix-based motorcycle shop Sucker Punch Sally’s, the Tundra gets a long list of design cues from the hot rods of the…
SEMA 2009: Five Axis Priuses Make Going Green Stylish… and Blue
Thanks to tuner Five Axis, the Toyota Prius has never looked this cool. Now in its third generation, the 2010 Prius has gotten considerably better looking over the years, but the two modified versions on display this week at the 2009 SEMA Show take green motoring to a stylish new level. Five Axis has built…
SEMA 2009: Mummbles Marketing xB Wins 2009 Scion Tuner Car Challenge
It wouldn’t have been our choice, but a panel of judges awarded the team at Mummbles Marketing as the Scion Tuner Car Challenge winner for their Teal Blue Pearl xB. Looking more like something we might have seen at SEMA in 2003, the Mummbles xB features a 9-piece widebody kit from BRS Autodesign with shaved…
SEMA 2009: Honda Celebrates 50 Years In North America With Classic Car Display in Las Vegas
Along with a selection of new vehicles outfitted with the company’s factory accessories, Honda also has on display a selection of vehicles highlighting the company’s successful past on the road and in motorsports. Included in that lineup are three particularly old school vehicles, including a 1974 Civic, an ’84 CRX and a ’71 N600. The…
SEMA 2009: Honda Announces Mugen Accessories for Accord
Honda used the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show to announce the introduction of a new line of Mugen Accessories for the 2010 Accord. Mugen has long been known as a performance parts company, building special edition cars for Honda as well as assisting in the company’s motorsports programs. The list of Mugen parts for…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Performace Tuning WRX STI Unveiled in Vegas
To help promote Subaru’s in-house performance tuning department, the automaker build a custom WRX STI using only parts from the Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) and STI catalogs. Unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the SPT WRX STI makes 315-hp (up from 305-hp), thanks to an SPT exhaust system. Otherwise, the factory turbocharged…
SEMA 2009: 300-hp Subaru Legacy Wagon GTk Breaks Cover in Las Vegas
Out of all the tuned vehicles at Subaru’s 2009 SEMA Show booth, we have to say the Legacy Wagon GTk is our top pick. Designed to bring together the best aspects of the Legacy sedan and the Outback wagon/crossover, the Legacy Wagon GTk was built as a capable autocross vehicle that can also carry a…
SEMA 2009: Mazda to Show Custom MazdaSpeed3 and Turbo Mazda3s in Vegas
For the 2009 SEMA Show Mazda is playing it low key, but that doesn’t mean the two vehicles on display are any less cool. Sure there aren’t LCD screens galore, nor is there any 600-hp twin-turbo V8 under the hood, but Mazda’s two modified 3 models are clean and performance oriented – just the way…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Builds Rally-Prepped WRX STI With Even More Grip
We were really excited when we started reading Subaru’s latest SEMA press release, as it listed things like a 400-hp WRX STI, the word’s “rally-prepped” and “Ken Block.” That was all well and good, but entirely too normal for a SEMA show car. And that’s what we discovered upon continued reading as we downloaded the…
SEMA 2009: Subaru Builds a 300-hp Legacy Wagon… and We Want It
Along with a more traditional modified STI and a wild Legacy show car, Subaru is set to debut a stunning Legacy wagon at the 2009 SEMA Show. Called the Legacy GTk, this wagon is designed to be an autocross champ and can also carry your family and an autocross secret weapon. Subaru designed the car…
SEMA Preview: Subaru to Show Factory SPT Tuning Package for STI, Plus VIP-Styled 2010 Legacy
Subaru will showcase three vehicles at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week, including one vehicle that owners can replicate, thanks to the company’s Subaru Performance Tuning division. That car is a WRX STI, which has been completely outfitted with a long list of SPT parts straight out of the factory catalog. The car…
Leaked: Full Details of Scion’s SEMA Show Cars Slip Out
Later today Scion is planning to display a selection of its 2009 SEMA Show cars before they hit the convention center floor in Las Vegas next week. But if you can’t wait until later today, let alone next week, we have a sneak peak at just what modifications each car will receive. We already reported…
SEMA Preview: Suzuki Bringing Kizashi Quartet to Las Vegas
Suzuki is hoping to drum up interest in its new Kizashi mid-sized sedan with a quartet of customized versions that will be officially unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week. Suzuki has already released some info on three of the cars built by different tuner shops, while a fourth car, built by…
Report: Acura Confirms TSX Sport Wagon to Hit Market in 2010
Acura has confirmed that it will offer the TSX as a wagon starting in 2010 as a 2011 model. Called the TSX Sport Wagon, this people hauler version of the TSX will be based on the Accord Touring model (shown above) sold in Europe. This only makes sense as the TSX was originally brought over…
SEMA Preview: Fox Marketing Reveals 405-hp IS350C Ahead of Las Vegas Debut
Set to officially debut next week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, next to a selection of other modified Lexus vehicles, Fox Marketing has decided to jump the gun, revealing all there is to know about the extremely custom IS350C. While the bright green paint (in true Fox Marketing style) might be the most…
Report: Honda Planning Two-Mode Hybrid System for Larger Cars
Slowly, Honda appears to be learning how the hybrid marketplace works. In a recent interview Honda CEO Takanobu Ito said that the company is working on more powerful two-mode hybrid systems (like the one used by Toyota) that will allow for the car to operate using either gas, electricity or a combination of both. Currently,…
Report: Next Generation Honda Civic Getting Major Last-Minute Changes
Honda is looking to make big changes across its product lineup, and the first model to go under the microscope is the next generation of the award winning and incredibly popular Civic. The Japanese automaker wants to make all of its vehicles more fuel efficient and less expensive, which will require significant changes to the…
Report: Mitsubishi Bringing New Global Small Car to North America in 2012
Just last week Mitsubishi announced that it is planning to bring over a smaller Lancer-based crossover to North America and now comes word that the Japanese automaker has yet another new model to debut shortly thereafter. Based on a new global small car platform the car will be smaller than the Colt (shown above), which…
Report: Toyota FT-86 Could be Next Celica or Scion tC
The rumors about the Toyota FT-86 Concept’s production name are as numerous as the theories, with reports pointing in all sorts of different directions. According to the folks at the U.K.’s AutoCar, the car is likely to be called the Celica. The name is apparently being considered because it has a long history and resonates…
Report: Nissan Rogue Gets Special Krom Edition for 2010
After launching the Krom edition of the Cube, Nissan has announced the Rogue crossover will get one too. Looking somewhat odd, with a tiny little grille and a great big GT-R-sized air dam, we can at least say that the Krom Edition adds a little flavor to the otherwise mild Rogue. The Krom Edition is…
Report: Nissan Leaf Electric Car Kicks-Off Zero Emission Tour November 13th in Los Angeles
Having just officially launched its Leaf electric car at the Tokyo Auto Show in Japan, Nissan has announced the potentially revolutionary new vehicle will start a U.S. tour. Set to begin on November 13th in Los Angeles, the Leaf will then travel to Northern California before crisscrossing the country. The Leaf will stop in 22…
Report: Acura NSX Gets Forced Retirement from Japan’s Super GT Series
Honda has just announced that due to a rule change for the 2010 Super GT Series, the NSX won’t be returning next year. The rules strictly state that all GT500 Class cars must be front-engine and rear-wheel drive. The NSX, of course, being mid-engined, does not qualify. While the NSX hasn’t been built since 2005,…
Report: Toyota Enters Korean Market to do Battle With Hyundai on its Turf
With Hyundai gaining ground on the international stage, Toyota has decided to take the fight to the Korean automaker on its home market. Earlier this week Toyota introduced four models in South Korea: the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius and RAV4. The more mainstream cars join the lineup of Lexus vehicles, which Toyota Motor Corp has…
