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Culture > Bliss

Here’s a photo recap of the 2025 Tokyo Auto Salon

Motor show features the best of the Japanese automotive industry, from OEM to aftermarket

This is the place to be in at the start of the year if you’re a car buff. PHOTO BY HANS BOSSHARD

One of this year’s most anticipated motoring events is the Tokyo Auto Salon, held last January 10-12 in all 11 exhibition halls of Makuhari Messe, Chiba City. In contrast to the Japan Mobility Show, TAS brings in more of the non-OEM automotive scene from tuners to modders, 4×4 folks, and stance guys alike.

You get the bling, the glamour, the performance and the style in a convention center the size of four SMXs joined together.

Your typical Pasay Alphards have nothing on these pimped-out rides. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Only in Japan do they toe the line between performance and 'rice' perfectly well. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Laying out all that piping must be exhausting. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
You get the bling, the style, the sleek lines and the quirky rolled up into one motor show. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD

Besides the intricate yet exuberant performance and design modifications the Japanese auto scene is known for, the country really loves its kei cars.  Short for kei-jidōsha, the size and the displacement-restricted classification give owners a whole load of discounts. From 20% off at the tollways, to a roughly 50% cut from registration-related matters, it’s no surprise you see a load of yellow-plated kei cars out on the streets.

Well, both modders and manufacturers alike are keen to remind us that these dinky little vehicles are nothing to sneeze at.

Kei cars can be built and glammed up to fit different lifestyles. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
These tiny vehicles can be immensely practical if need be. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Yes, those are Daihatsu Gazoo Racing kei cars, specifically a GR-fied Mira e:S and Copen. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD

There were several GR Yarises out on the exhibition floor, but what piqued our interest most was an unassuming unit out at Toyota’s booth. Clad in the typical camo livery on cars under development (to make our lives as photographers and journalists harder), the hatch had a curiously empty engine bay.

With some technical wizardry slapped on the front to move the powerplant out the back, the mid-engined M Concept GR Yaris sports Toyota’s brand-new 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged G20E engine rumored to produce upwards of 400hp.

That's one heck of a way to drop two bombshells in one car. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD

Continuing Toyota’s nonchalant booth presence was the 2025 Dakar-spec Land Cruiser 300 that the brand would use for the Stock Production Car category of the famed Dakar Rally. The LC is positioned right beside its great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, the Land Cruiser BJ from 1951.

Toyota’s push into motorsport is partly due to chairman Akio Toyoda. Several of the vehicles he grew up with (now in his own personal garage) were on display, giving us a glimpse into how cars shaped his life.

Left of that display were a bunch of even more unassuming cars, but quite possibly the two most important vehicles for the start of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division. The blue fourth-generation Supra served as Morizo’s training vehicle, and its adjacent Altezza served as Car #109 for Toyota’s very first entry in the 2007 Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Toyota has a knack for making great trucks, in both the past and the present. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Akio Toyoda must've missed seeing these vehicles from his childhood, so he collected them for his own garage. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
If you had no clue about the history behind these cars, you'd be really confused why Toyota put out some normal-looking vehicles on center stage. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Yep. That's the real deal. PHOTO BY HANS BOSSHARD
The preproduction 2026 Prelude seems to be as good as ready. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Mitsubishi's Night Seeker concept is based off the brand's updated Outlander PHEV, modeled after the cult classic 'Metal Gear Solid'. PHOTO BY HANS BOSSHARD
Several other manufacturers such as Lotus and BMW had a presence at the Tokyo Auto Salon. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Interestingly enough, Hyundai only sells EVs in Japan. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD

Nissan had quite the special car on display, yet with all the GT-Rs on the exhibition floor, it was quite easy to miss. That was until you noticed the EV charging plug slapped right on its rear quarter panel.

Why desecrate such a beloved icon? In a PR released by Nissan, it asked the lead engineer how it started the project. After spending a whole day testing the X-Trail e-Power at the brand’s Tochigi proving grounds, the team seemed pretty confident with how good the EV system was.

Well, some team members took interest at the R32 Skyline parked nearby. They pulled it out of its slumber, ran it on the track, and even the young ones agreed that the GT-R was way more fun.

The EV project is a way for the team to help preserve the giants of the previous decades. Parts may be unavailable to rehabilitate a conked-out internal-combustion engine, and several jurisdictions may soon dislike having gas-guzzling vehicles out on the roads, but the looming possibility of an electric conversion means we can still partake in the pure motoring pleasure that some of these vehicles offer.

The GT-R R32 EV seemed so far left-field, yet it kind of made sense. PHOTO FROM NISSAN
Nismo had its hands full for Nissan's booth. PHOTO BY HANS BOSSHARD
Just a few minor changes to make Mazda's existing lineup a touch better. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Tons of aftermarket suppliers were present at the Tokyo Auto Salon. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Despite being an automotive event, several exhibitors also showcased motorcycles. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD
Stance the world. PHOTO BY HANS BOSSHARD
While some projects seemed absolutely obscene, you could still tell they were done for a reason. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD

I gained a lot of insight from my first-ever Tokyo Auto Salon. Given that our vehicles mean a lot to us, customizing them for a specific task or lifestyle makes our cars even more personal. It shows us who we are, what we’re capable of, and how we want to be seen by the world.

If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. PHOTOS BY HANS BOSSHARD

Oh, and if you can manage to make your end result prim and proper, go absolutely nuts with it.



Hans Bosshard

Hans is the ultimate commuter: He drives a car and he rides a bicycle. He also likes tinkering with mechanical stuff.



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