Autoblog

Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept.

By most accounts, Honda originally planned to show off the next generation NSX to the seething throngs at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. But due to the less-than-positive reception the Advanced Sports Car concept garnered at the Detroit show, Honda's designers headed back to the drawing board to redesign the front clip housing the 550 hp, 4.5-liter V10.

Now, Autocar has gotten word from a Honda insider that the NSX is bound for the 2009 Tokyo show, sporting a new front end that "has Chevrolet Corvette undertones" and is slated to for production in the fall of 2010.

The new NSX will supposedly kick off Honda's first serious attempt at producing rear-wheel-drive vehicles to rival BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti, including new platforms that will underpin Acura's larger sedan offerings and an S2000-based Acura sports car that takes aim at the Mercedes SLK. The launch of Acura's 7-series fighter isn't due to make an appearance until 2015. For Honda' sake, let's hope they can expedite development to make it happen around the turn of the decade.


[Source: Autocar]

UPDATE: New images added to the gallery.

click above for more high-res images of the Honda Sports Modulo Civic Type-R

Honda is bringing a trifecta of tricked-out, Modulo-fettled concepts to the Tokyo Auto Salon, and this Civic Type-R takes the track-ready nature of the base model to the next level.

The concept is fitted with 19-inch Modulo wheels wrapped in 225/35 R19 R-compound tires and a revised suspension, along with a new front fascia, rear bumper, side skirts and wing. The checkered livery speaks to its track-friendly nature, but the inside of the Civic Type-R is what gains the most attention. Honda replaced several interior panels with carbon fiber components and fitted custom Recaro seats, a new dash display and an F1-inspired steering wheel with integrated shift lights. It's function following form with a perfect blend of track-ready gear and street-legal mods. We likey.

[Source: Honda, Carview]

The 2007 Tokyo Motor Show ended last week, but today we're cleaning out our closet of yet-to-be published posts from this biggest of biannual Japanese auto shows.
Click above image to view more live pics of the crab-like Pivo2 from Nissan

After a few days of regurgitating the same old story to the world's press, company PR men are apt to let little gems slip as fatigue and boredom set in. This year's classic comes from a Nissan PR man, who for the sake of his career, shall remain nameless.

The Pivo 2, replete with an R2D2 like co-pilot and wheels that can twist 90 degrees to the car's axis, was "designed with urban females in mind, as they have bad senses of direction and are not so good at driving." His words, not ours.

Click through to find more pictures of Nissan's answer to this urban malaise.

The 2007 Tokyo Motor Show ended last week, but today we're cleaning out our closet of yet-to-be published posts from this biggest of biannual Japanese auto shows.

click above image to view more live pics of the Suzuki X-Head

Remember the Suzuki Samurai, the lightweight 4x4 much maligned for being just as likely to topple over as any other Jeep of its day? Well, it's alive and well and being sold throughout the world as the Jimny. The X-Head just might be its future and we can only hope that Suzuki's notoriously tight bean counters do not savage the functional yet oh so cool interior too badly. Who knows, they may even bring it Stateside. Yeah, right.

Check out our original post on the Suzuki X-Head here and view live pics from last week's Tokyo Motor Show in the gallery below.

Nissan is finally releasing the GT-R fun to the US market next summer, and the Franco-Japanese automaker has no intentions of sticking with only one model. We've heard rumors about a lightweight V-Spec GT-R for a while, and Nissan officials aren't even denying it. Carbon fiber and light-weight aluminum will take a vehicle that has posted a 911 Turbo-beating 7:38 lap at the 'Ring and kick it up a notch. Save 200 lbs. on a 480 HP ball of hell-fire, and an already explosive sports car can turn in some of the best clock times of its day.

While $68,000 will net you a super Nissan that challenges the likes of Porsche, a V-Spec edition will surely cost you quite a bit more. Something tells us there will be plenty of buyers waiting in line with their check books in hand, so Mr. Ghosn and company shouldn't spend much time worrying if they'll attracting enough customers.



[Source: Inside Line's Straightline]

Say what you will about the styling of the Mazda Taiki concept that's currently on display in Tokyo. It's quite possible that what's underneath is more interesting, anyway. Under the hood of the Taiki is a new gen rotary engine from Mazda called the 16X Renesis. Of course, the Rotary engine has its share of detractors, but Mazda's sticking with it anyway.

Further refining Felix Wankel's trochoid wonder, the Renesis (known internally as the 13B-MSP) has been massaged and enlarged for the first time in a very long time. Capacity is now 800cc per rotor, bringing total size up to 1.6 liters. Direct injection allows the 16X Renesis to put out more power and torque while running cleaner than a port injection setup would have allowed. Attention was also paid to reducing the oil consumption that Wankels are known for. The size of the engine is still pony-keg compact, and the rotor housing is now aluminum, which should save a little weight. While the new larger chamber design and direct injection offer more efficiency, it still remains to be seen whether or not the Rotary is capable of modern horsepower numbers without turbochargers (difficult with the side-port design) or swilling fuel like a sailor on shore leave. The 16X may show up in a special version of the current RX-8, or Mazda may hold off until a new RX-8 bows in 2011.

[Source: AutoWeek, Photo: Winding Road]

Click the above image for more of the i MIEV Sport

Mitsubishi's has given its cute and funky 'i' minicar a sporty makeover with a coupe-like shape and vents on the side to create the i MIEV Sport. Despite being the sports version, it uses the same electric plug-in technology found in the i MIEV, which means two in-wheel motors driving the front wheels, and one motor for the rear. The cab-forward design does make it look like a bubble car, but having navigated Tokyo's streets for the last few days we can totally see it fitting right in.

Click above image for more pictures of the Nissan Round Box

The R.D:B.X... as in Round Box. Could this be a hint of what will replace the (currently) JDM only Nissan Cube? Japan's youth, who are already way too cool for the current model, let alone the Toyota Bb (Scion XB), should certainly hope so.

Check out that amazing interior, complete with a totally digital dash, in our high-res gallery of live shots below.

click above image to view more live shots of the Mud Master-C

Didn't Space 1999's Moon Base Alpha have a couple of these in the garage?

Looking like a Mitsubishi Delica that's spent too much time in the boil wash, Daihatsu's Mud Master-C is a kei car, but with lofty ambitions. This is far from Daihatsu's first foray into the off road world - they've made jeeps and even jacked up kei vans in the past - albeit all shod with far smaller wheels than these cool 16-inch alloys. Who knows, this could even make production. Click here to read our original post with more details on Mud Master Concept and check out the gallery of live shots below.

Toyota's i-Real answers the quintessential question: "How can I let my legs atrophy, while simultaneously looking sillier than someone in a Segway?" Here's your answer.

Toyota's president, Katsuaki Watanabe, rolled onto the stage in complete control of the amped up wheelchair and although his stiff demeanor carried over from the operation of the i-Real to his speech, we understand it's relatively easy to operate. Two joysticks fall to hand, controlling forward motion, braking and turning, and once the speeds increase – up to 30 km/h – the seat tilts back to stabilize the i-Real.

We've added a few live shots of the i-Real to our gallery and you can take a gander at our original post for more details.