Japan

  • Nissan GT-R RC by Nismo

    Nissan used this weekend’s 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon to roll out a new edition of its GT-R supercar, one aimed at well-heeled track enthusiasts and privateer race teams. If you’re unfamiliar with the Auto Salon, it's essentially the Japanese version of SEMA and manages to draw in the major automakers as well as the big name tuning companies each year. As for the new GT-R model, dubbed the GT-R RC (Racing Competition), it was developed by Nissan’s official in-house tuner and motorsport arm Nismo specifically for track use. It features slick tire-compatible suspension, lightweight...

  • 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C
    2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C Breaks Cover

    Last year we saw the first iteration of the new Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C, a lighter and more hardcore version of the then-new Impreza WRX STI that was built in a limited run of just 900 cars. The car essentially featured enhanced engine and chassis performance as well as the aforementioned...

  • 2011 Lexus CT 200h production
    Video: Building The 2011 Lexus CT 200h

    Lexus has consistently rated at the top of studies for vehicle quality over the past several years, which is not surprising considering that one of the marque’s main slogans is “The Pursuit of Perfection”. Here’s an inside look at Lexus’ Kyushu plant in Japan where the...

  • 2011 Tokyo Motor Show
    2011 Tokyo Motor Show “Reborn”

    Despite Japan being one of the biggest automobile markets in the world, both for production and consumption, there were fears that the country’s prestigious Tokyo Motor Show could be canceled last year due to a lack of interest from most non-Japanese automakers. While the show did go on, although...

  • 2009 Tokyo Motor Show
    2009 Tokyo Motor Show Coverage

    The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show opens on the 24th of October 2009.

  • Safe & Sound Toyota Prius
    Japan looking to make hybrid vehicles noisy

    Although the relative silence of hybrid vehicles has made them the choice of TV gangsters for drive-by shootings, the rest of the world is less than enamored with the difficulty involved in hearing one coming - especially when trying to cross the street. This phenomenon has inspired companies like...

  • Garage Saurus Nissan GT-R SpecV

    Like a fine piece of art or a perfectly cooked stake, the 2010 Nissan GT-R SpecV is one of those cars that shouldn’t be fiddled with and just accepted as one of the best examples of automotive engineering on sale today. With more than 478hp (356kW) and 430lb-ft (580Nm) on tap and a kerb weight sliding just under 1,600kg, few would deem the car lacking in the performance department. If you are one of the lucky few to get your hands on the rare SpecV GT-R and are crazy enough to modify it, Japanese tuner Garage Saurus will soon be able to offer a full assortment of upgrades for the car...

  • This drawing shows the outline of the future Nissan EV
    Nissan planning to mass produce electric vehicles by 2012

    Promises about electric vehicles are a dime a dozen, and so far no one - not even Tesla - has managed to deliver a real daily-driving production car in volume. Nissan has so far promised to deliver its first electric vehicle by 2010, although initially it will be available only to commercial fleet...

  • wald black bison mercedes r class 001
    Wald Int'l Black Bison Mercedes-Benz R-Class: cyberpunk family hauler

    Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the Merecedes-Benz R-Class. Yes, it's sold in America and yes, it's been out for quite a while now, but its dismal sales have been the exception to Mercedes' rule. That's what makes Wald's decision to give the not-quite-a-minivan the Black Bison treatment all...

  • Subaru Impreza WRX STI
    Subaru celebrates 20 years of STI division with new museum

    For over 20 years Subaru's motorsports division STI (Subaru Tecnica International) has been churning out championship-winning rally cars and incredible road-going versions that have impressed scores of motor journalists and customers alike. Now, to commemorate its work with Subaru models, the STI...

  • 2010 Nissan GT-R SpecV
    Nissan GT-R SpecV turbochargers suggest room for more power

    For a long time now, news of the Nissan GT-R SpecV has been making the rounds, with many expecting the new model to outdo even the mighty Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 when it finally takes to the Nurburgring for an official run. Part of these rumors was the assumption that the SpecV model would not be...

  • 2010 Nissan GT-R SpecV
    Nismo to begin renting upgraded GT-R electronics to customers in Japan

    Earlier today we told you how Nissan is now offering to upgrade original-spec GT-Rs with a host of better parts including suspension upgrades and engine mounts. Now Nissan's racing and tuning arm, Nismo, has decided to release upgraded engine and transmission management software, but in a novel...

  • 2010 Nissan GT-R Series II

    The Nissan GT-R first went on sale in Japan in December of 2007 and since then has undergone a series of minor updates to arrive at the current 2010 model year ‘Series II’ specification. During this time we’ve also seen the introduction of the lighter and stiffer SpecV model, which itself brought a whole series of new upgrades for the Nissan supercar. Some of the upgrades to the standard GT-R model included things like suspension adjustments to improve road handling and driver feedback, a 5hp (4kW) bump in power, and changes to the car’s gearbox control software to...

  • 2010 Toyota Prius
    Toyota launches new build-your-own Prius configurator

    Toyota may have just sold its millionth hybrid vehicle in the United States last month, but that hasn't stopped the industry giant from getting trounced in its home market of Japan when it comes to hybrid sales. Last month the company has released official pricing for the 2010 Prius, starting at...

  • Better Place battery switch station at work
    Better Place shows off its automated EV battery switching station

    Shai Agassi's ambitious Better Place project has been rolling out plans for test-market EVs around the world for over a year now, and today the project took a huge leap forward with the demonstration of its first automated battery swapping station. The proof-of-concept facility was demonstrated in...

  • wald black bison nissan gt r april 2009 006
    Wald releases new photos of Nissan GT-R Black Bison

    Japanese tuning house Wald International has a wide range of styling and performance kits for nearly every major luxury car brand on the market, but this time the company has focused its attention on a humble Nissan, albeit one of the fastest Nissans ever produced. The car is the Nissan GT-R, a...

  • nissan skyline crossover 002
    Nissan sends Infiniti EX to Japan as Skyline Crossover

    Re-badging has stereotypically been the domain of U.S. carmakers, especially when crossing national borders, but Nissan/Infiniti are engaging in a bit of their own shell game with the Infiniti EX. Sending the vehicle to Japan as the Skyline Crossover, the car receives almost nothing in the way of...

  • 2010 Nissan GT-R SpecV
    Nissan GT-R chief engineer confirms ”high-performance” model

    While the GT-R SpecV is one of the fastest and best-handling cars currently in production, it’s safe to say that almost every car enthusiast on the planet was hoping Nissan would pull out something much more extreme for the special edition model. In the lead up to the car’s unveiling...

  • 2009 Honda Insight Hybrid

    Honda’s new Insight hybrid vehicle has been on sale in the U.S. for just over a week but demand for the car is already pushing production at the company’s Suzuka plant in Japan to the limits. Sales of the Insight in Japan are already triple what Honda had hoped for and with predictions of up to 100,000 sales in the U.S. alone, Honda will have no choice but to increase production. Unfortunately, Honda can only build about 600 Insights per day and half of these are already destined for the U.S. Moving production to North America now sounds like a good idea but executives at Honda...

  • 2010 Toyota Prius
    Toyota and Honda continue cutting output as Japan's sales head for 32-year low

    In the highly reflexive world of modern markets, forecasts are often self-fulfilling, and that's just more reason to fear the word coming out of Tokyo today. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) is predicting the worst sales in 32 years for 2009, and already Toyota and Honda have...

  • 2009 Tokyo Motor Show logo
    World’s automakers shun Tokyo Motor Show, but event will go on

    The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association (JAMA) has decided not to cancel this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, despite most of the world’s automakers pulling out of the event. Skipping the show this year will be the Detroit 3, as well as automakers from Germany, France, Sweden, and...

  • GReddy Trust
    GReddy USA in safe hands following successful reorganization of Trust in Japan

    Last September Japanese tuning and aftermarket parts firm Trust filed for bankruptcy in its home country, but despite the hairy situation the tuner’s U.S. extension, GReddy Performance Parts (GPP), was able to continue operating unaffected. As in the U.S., bankruptcy in Japan is a business...

  • Nissan Mixim concept
    Nissan announces new EV program in Tucson, Arizona

    ECOtality has partnered with Nissan and the Pima Association of Governments to bring a new zero-emissions initiative to the Tucson, Arizona region. By pairing prototype EVs and a new charging network, Nissan hopes to further expand its development of practical research into widespread use of...

  • Honda NSX
    New focus on R&D expected at Honda with announcement of new CEO

    Honda, like most major carmakers, is experiencing one of its worst performance slumps in decades. Shrinking demand worldwide for new vehicles and a strengthening yen have had disastrous effects on the company’s bottom line, with the most recent profit warning predicting a $3.7 billion...

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