18 Reasons Tokyo Is Still the Funkiest, Most Fun Car Show Left Standing
It was an old school auto show of sorts, in a way that only the Japanese can still pull off.
The auto show is dead, long live the auto show. In recent years, we’ve seen the death of what used to be the traveling auto show circuit, where Geneva, Paris, Detroit, Geneva, Frankfurt, and Tokyo all were destination spots on the calendar. Cars were unveiled by the dozens, news was made. Those days are largely gone now, swallowed up by the internet and automakers doing one-off events, as the cost and expense and diminishing returns have made things too problematic. Then the pandemic provided the coup de grâce. That’s why it was so refreshing to be taken back in time a bit by the 2025 Japan Mobility Show.
Yes, it’s largely a home show now, but the huge crowds packing the reveals of unique and thought-provoking concepts from the likes of Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, Lexus, and the launch of a new Century brand made it feel special again. That, and for once in today’s world, the U.S. media didn’t know everything that was going to happen beforehand. The Tokyo show has always been on the wacky side, with strange and wonderful creations on the stands over the years. That spirit was alive again, aided in part by the new focus on mobility, which brought back the fun, but also with a sense of making the world a better place through automotive technology. The following is a look at the show from a different perspective beyond just the mainstream reveals. Enjoy the tour!
Toyota ME Mobility Concepts
These robots had showgoers stopping in their tracks, watching them flex and walk and spin and contract. But they have a purpose. Japan’s population is rapidly aging, and Toyota and others have been working on solutions to help them stay active and able to get around. We saw a video where the wheelchair (Challenge ME) launched off a jump. We swear. And strangely, that same video had everyone using them as young and active. So, maybe dual purposes.
Daihatsu Midget X
This concept, an evolution of its famous Midget model, is so cute we just wanted to pinch its headlamps. This thing is small—like, golf-cart-wheelbase small. But with it’s 1+2 seating (good luck fitting three Americans in there), front-opening doors, and a variety of configurations, it has lots more flexibility than an e-bicycle.
Daihatsu Midget
This is the car/truck/trike that started it all for Daihatsu as a car-making company back in 1957. It became known as the “little giant” for its ability to haul and get things done in tight spaces and became a legend with the merchant class at the time.
BYD Yangwang U9
Hey, it’s one of the fastest EVs in the world, a Nürburgring-slaying supercar capable of big performance. Up close, it’s a long and wide thing, with a lot of presence and style. BYD claimed the U9 achieved a Nordschleife lap time of 7 minutes and 17.9 seconds in November of last year, and it also says it has a top speed of just over 243 mph. It looks every bit capable of those numbers up close. We’d sure like to see how well it would perform in our MT testing.
Suzuki Vision e-Sky
Suzuki claims the all-electric-powered minicar concept is “just right” for your life. We don’t know about that, but we do know that the e-Sky is an attractive little box as far as minicars go. It only makes sense that kei cars will be going electric, and the e-Sky and others like it are bellwethers of more to come on that front from Suzuki and others.
1935 Toyoda Model G1
Before the Model AA car, Toyoda produced the G1 truck, partly because at the time making a truck was a slightly easier proposition for the company. It’s bigger than the Model AA, and aped the looks of contemporary Ford trucks. Toyoda’s first engine was also one that used an existing Chevrolet design. So, two of Detroit’s legends helped inspire and drive Toyoda’s first vehicles.
Suzuki MOQBA 2 and e-VanVan Concept Motorcycle
If you know Suzuki, then you know they do motorcycles, lots of motorcycles, so it only makes sense that its getting into electric-powered versions. This model, called the e-VanVan (apparently a riff off of a model from the 1970s) looks pretty sweet and it seems like you could get pretty rowdy off-road with those front shocks and the like. It’s pretty small in size, too, making it easier to ride on the trails. As for the Moqba 2? It sure looks like a robot dog, but it isn’t. It’s a four wheeled contraption; an evolution of a model it debuted in 2023. We’re not sure what its for, but we’d give it a ride.
Daihatsu K-Open
Daihatsu is Toyota’s budget brand today, with mostly small, kei-car-sized models on offer. The raddest of these is the K-Open, formerly known as the Copen, Daihatsu’s long-running open-air runabout. It’s a kei car, so that means it has a 660cc engine, but with a rear-wheel-drive performance-themed layout. It also showed a tuned-up prototype version aimed at making it even sportier. We’ll take two.
1936 Toyoda Model AA
The Model AA was Toyoda’s first ever production car (it was not spelled "Toyota" yet). It looks like it was plucked out of an old Prohibition-era gangster flick, with its pre-World War II proportions. It’s a big vehicle in person, with quite a presence. One of its claims to fame was its engine mounted on the front axle to give it more room for passenger space. Just over 1,400 Model AA’s were built in all.
Hyundai Insteroid Concept
This is one bizarro-world looking car, a concept based on the Hyundai Inster EV and done up in a space age, video game, rally-car look. First revealed back in April, the Insteroid has all manner of cues designed to give it a bona fide performance presence with the requisite wing spoiler, rear diffuser, and venting. Inside, it’s fitted with a roll cage, racing-style instrumentation and sport seats. It’s an aspirational exercise, as many of its details look a little tacked on, but look at it from 10 feet away and you can envision yourself barreling down a narrow trail, drifting your day away.
Suzuki Jimny NOMADE
Everyone’s favorite off-road vehicle we can’t have now comes in a five-door model like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It’s the first five-door Jimny in the 55-year history of the model, made possible by extending the wheelbase. Suzuki claims it’s comfortable in the rear seats. It looked decently spacious, all things considered. Still, if we’re getting a Jimny, we’re going to go with one not named NOMADE: the original with fewer doors.
Isuzu D-Max
Nestled among Izuzu’s giant commercial trucks on display was the D-Max, which to us is one good-looking truck. And naturally, the D in D-max stands for diesel, specifically a newly developed 2.2-liter unit with 163 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. That would make it a unicorn of sorts here in America, in that the diesel engine has gone the way of the dodo in passenger trucks. It’s a perfect size, too, looking to be somewhere between Ford's Maverick and Ranger. This newly remodeled version was just launched this October in Thailand with new styling.
Crystal Benz SL Gold
This is the sort of car we expect to see at the Dubai auto show, not the Japan Mobility Show, but we stumbled across this bejeweled Mercedes-Benz SL with white faux fur seats. The crystals are said to be of the highest quality, sourced from Austria, in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Needless to say, an artisan had to apply them by hand. Don’t speed in this one: You will definitely stand out. And no fender benders, as we suspect the repair costs could be astronomical.– Alisa Priddle
Top Secret VR32 Stealth
When in Rome, er, Tokyo. It wouldn’t be a Tokyo show without a little bit of Godzilla in your life, and this R32-spec Nissan GT-R fits the bill perfectly. Although there doesn’t seem to be much stealth about it on the outside, under the hood is a tuned version of 3.8-liter twin-turbo from the most recent R35 GT-R. That’s just the way we’d like it, thank you very much. This is a car you’d see sitting pretty at the Tokyo Auto Salon, SEMA, or another show with a similar aftermarket flavor. It was part of a special supercar area at this show. It’s pretty super, alright.
2026 Honda Prelude (In Black)
Here’s one in black! We figured since this may be the first new Prelude we’ve seen in black, that we’d post it up here. Enjoy! You can read all about Honda's new coupe here, and we can’t wait to get behind the wheel.
GRMN Century Sedan
For the unvitiated who may be hearing about Toyota's Century nameplate for the first time in the wake of the big announcement that Century will take on the Rolls-Royces of the world, the badge has been around since 1967. At present, it makes two vehicles, an SUV (naturally) and a sedan, the special high-performance GRMN version of which you see here. It's powered by 5.0-liter V-8 and electric motor combo pushing 425 horsepower and 376 lb-ft torque. Looking like a cross between a Chrysler 300C and a Bentley Mulsanne, this is one slick-looking executive sedan that we’d definitely rock if given the chance. In fact, we sort of like it better than the new Century concept.
Hino Motors Dakar Trophy Truck
It’s hard to put into words how huge this thing is. We had a chance to sit in it, but first we had to climb a set of stairs. It’s a testament to commercial truck maker Hino Motors that it built up a version of its massive and capable Hino 500 Series to make it across some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain, with an 8.7-liter inline-six diesel engine providing the power. This particular truck took on the 2019 Dakar Rally with famed driver Yoshimasa Sugawara behind the wheel and marking his participation in an insane 36 consecutive Dakar events.
Toyota IMV Origin
This little runabout is about getting to basics, the real bare bones. A car that you can literally wrench on out in the bush. Think of it as the FJ for the new generation, a vehicle designed to meet any challenge, any terrain, and be able to handle it, and if did happen to break down you could fix it right then and there. It can also be assembled into all manner of different configurations, the one you see here is something of a single driver truck. But you can make it multi-passenger, give it more cargo carrying ability, you name it. The IMV Origin is indeed a visionary concept. It remains to be seen though if customers in developing nations will be able to afford it, and it’s unclear about the powertrain. But if it can be pulled off at a price that’s as visionary as the concept, Toyota may be on to something.
One of my seminal memories was the few months I spent helping my cousin Steve literally build me from the frame up a super sick 1970 Chevy Nova in his garage just off of 8 Mile (yes, that 8 Mile). Black with white SS stripes. 350 V-8. Blackjack headers. Ladder bars. Four on the floor. Drum brakes all around. Mainly I helped hand him the wrenches, the bondo, the buffing wheel, the beer. When it was finally done and I blistered the tires for the first time, plumes of smoke filling up my rear view, I felt like a true American Bad Ass (pre Kid Rock). That's what it was like for so many of us who grew up in The D back in the day. It was about muscle. Detroit Iron. So when I had an opportunity to get into this crazy business, you best believe I leapt like a bionic cheetah at the chance. Over the past three decades or so (carbon dating myself), I've been honored and privileged to be a part of four outstanding publications in Motor Trend, Automobile, Autoweek, and the Detroit Free Press. And while the salad days back in my cousin's garage seem a million miles away, my love for cars -- and my hometown of Detroit -- have never wavered. Neither has my commitment to delivering the best possible experience to the readers I've served and will continue to serve now and in the future.
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