After quite literally years of anticipation, Lexus has officially revealed its latest flagship, the LFA. As the automaker’s first supercar, so far, the LFA does not disappoint.

The car’s functional exterior is artfully designed and we’d go so far as to say it looks more impressive than vehicles it rivals – like the Ferrari 599. That body is made primarily of light-weight carbon fiber, as is the chassis, which helps keep the car’s weight down to just 3,263 lbs. When you combine that with a 4.8-liter V8 that revs to 9000 rpm and makes 552-hp and 354 ft-lbs of torque, you get a luxurious exotic that can hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and top out at 202 mph!

As for the cost? Yikes! Lexus is charging $375,000. That, however, is the price of exclusivity as just 500 LFAs will be built.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA

Photos by Kevin Duke

GALLERY: Lexus LFA Official Photos

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Toyota has officially unveiled the FT-86, a concept car that is set to inspire an upcoming compact sports car. The name FT-86 brings together Toyota’s past and future, with the “FT” coming from the FT-HS hybrid concept from a few years back, while the “86″ is donated from the AE-86, a small rear-drive, two-door Corolla-based sports car (called the Hachi-Roku), made famous by drifters.

The design of the car in many ways mimics the bold look of the Lexus LFA supercar and yet on a smaller and more subtle scale. Power comes from a 2.0-liter Subaru-sourced boxer engine although the output is not yet known. The production model, like the concept will be rear-wheel drive and is expected to cost around $20,000, undercutting the Hyundai Genesis Coupe as a fun and affordable sports car.

Toyota has never really been in the sports car business but it is making bold statements, saying the FT-86 will have, “racecar-like handling.” We’ll hold our judgment until we get the production model out on a race track.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86 Concept

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Speaking to reporters at the Tokyo Auto Show, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito suggested that when the time is right he would like to build a “green” sports car. The Japanese automaker faces two big hurdles first, however: a lack of cash as well as insufficient technology. “Once we have that technology and once we have cash on hand, I would like to see Honda have a sports car that symbolizes our technology,” he told Automotive News.

While Honda is set to launch the compact hybrid CR-Z sports car next year, this new car would be a range-topping vehicle with optimum performance and fuel economy. Honda is struggling in the technology department, however, with hybrid systems that are much less efficient than competing systems.

Ito made the comments just after Toyota drew back the covers on its 560-hp Lexus LFA supercar, which uses “old fashioned” internal combustion technology. Earlier in the month he told Reuters that big displacement engines are nostalgic and that the people who like them are, “stuck in the past.” Knowing full well at the time that Toyota was about to debut its new V10-powered flagship, Ito professed that, “The era of V10 engines is gone.”

Until last year, Honda was in development of a V10-powered replacement to the Acura NSX, but Honda canned the project due economic concerns. The concept car’s harsh reviews by the automotive press also, no doubt, had a hand in the vehicle’s demise.

[Source: Automotive News]

Honda announced a production version of its CR-Z hybrid concept will be introduced to North America in the second half of 2010.

As the second version of the CR-Z concept was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show, Honda announced the production version will be a sporty 2-seat hybrid, the first hybrid car set up with a manual transmission.

Power for the CR-Z comes from a 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. This 200cc of added displacement over the 1.3-liter engine found in both the Civic Hybrid and Insight should help put more of a focus on performance.

The production version of the CR-Z will debut in January at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

GALLERY: Honda CR-Z Concept

Nissan President Carlos Ghosn has confirmed that the automaker is getting ready to bring several electric vehicles to market, including one sold under the Infiniti brand. Ghosn made the announcement at the Tokyo Auto Show, where the brand officially unveiled the Nissan Leaf electric car as well as the strange Land Glider concept, which is also being studied as a fourth electric vehicle.

An Infiniti electric concept vehicle is currently being prepared that will be a compact four seater with typical Infiniti luxury and style.

No additional details were given, including if the four-seater would be a small sedan or a 2+2 coupe. Regardless, it is sure to take design cues from the Essence concept that was first shown at the Geneva Autpp Show last March.

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It is undeniably the most expensive Lexus, the company has ever created. The LFA supercar, priced at $375,000 is aimed at raising Lexus from a German imitator to an Italian rival. Aimed at cars like the Ferrari 599, the LFA is powered by a 4.8-liter V10 engine with 560 PS (552hp) and 354 ft-lbs of torque and thanks to a six-speed sequential transmission and a weight of just 3,263 lbs, the LFA can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and tops out a 202 mph!

Lexus says the V10 engine they have created is both smaller and lighter than most V8 engines. It also uses 10 individual electronic throttle bodies for the best possible throttle response. As the the body of the car it uses carbon fiber, which is joined to the car’s metal pieces in a special process the Japanese automaker has developed.

As rumored, the car does use a carbon fiber cabin structure (often referred to as a monocoque), which is why the vehicle weighs so little. Until now production vehicles with such a setup were limited to even more expensive vehicles, like the upcoming Aston Martin One-77, which is rumored to cost close to $1.7 million.

Lexus calls the car, “Ultra-responsive and extremely stable even when taken to the edge,” saying that, “the LFA creates a sense of reassurance that opens up a new world of driving emotion, exhilarating the senses to move the driver in more ways than one.” We’ll have to wait until some serious track tests to see if the car performs like it costs.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA

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This video has just been released on YouTube showing for the first time the undisguised production version of Lexus’s LF-A in a photo montage that includes production images of the car as well as some wild driving on the Nürburgring.

The car has yet to be officially unveiled but it is expected shortly as the Tokyo Auto Show kicks off tomorrow, October 21st. (In Tokyo, it is already the 21st).

No official details about the car have been confirmed but it is expected to use a 5.0-liter V10 engine making as much as 550hp and boasting a top speed of over 200 mph. Judging from the video, the V10 engine revs all the way to a lofty 9000 rpm.

In addition, it appears as though the car’s name will remain the same as the concept version, sans hyphen. Instead, it will henceforth be known as the LFA.

We’ll be sure to bring you more details as they emerge.

GALLERY: Lexus LFA

GALLERY: Official Lexus LFA Photos

If the all-new Toyota Sai Hybrid looks familiar – it should. The new Toyota hybrid model is based very closely on the new Lexus HS platform. Sold as a premium Lexus luxury car in North America, the same car will be down-graded somewhat for sale in its home market. Even the design is almost identical (due to aerodynamic reasons), although the Sai does get some half-unique body panels, as well as head and taillights.

Like the HS, the Sai gets a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor and battery pack in true Hybrid Synergy Drive fashion. This is good for a total of 187hp,  a 0-60 mph time of 8.4 seconds and a rather incredible 54 mpg average fuel economy rating. That rating, says Toyota, puts the Sai on par with 660cc micro cars.

The Sai will go on sale soon in Japan as a slightly more up-market and more powerful alternative to the Prius.

GALLERY: 2010 Toyota Sai Hybrid

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You probably haven’t heard of the Toyota Mark X and that’s not surprising considering it isn’t sold in North America. Its also a shame, however, as the largish car is based on the same platform as the Lexus GS, meaning it is rear-wheel drive – with an all-wheel drive option available.

It has a lot more in common with the Lexus than just which wheels put the power to the ground, however, as it comes with high-tech items like an adaptive variable suspension, variable ratio steering, VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) and even three driving modes (Sport, Snow and Eco) to let the driver choose his driving style.

Power comes from either a base 203-hp 2.5-liter V6 or an optional 315-hp 3.5-liter V6, both with six-speed automatic transmissions. Only the 2.5-liter models are available with AWD.

Toyota has no plans to bring the Mark X to North America, but it certainly would make for a compelling performance-oriented alternative to the Camry or Avalon. The new second-generation Mark X is set to launch tomorrow (October 21st) at the Tokyo Auto Show.

GALLERY: Toyota Mark X

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Nissan is continuing to gauge interest in a new design for an upcoming compact crossover by showing the Qazana Concept at the Tokyo Auto Show. First unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show last March, the Qazana may be a bit on the bizarre side but Nissan insists it will eventually lead to a pproduction crossover that will be built in the U.K. in the near future.

Created by the folks at Nissan’s European design studio, the Qazana is the next step after the Qashqai SUV. “When it comes to design, Nissan has developed a reputation for constantly delivering something different,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe. “The global success of Qashqai has proven that the car buying public is fed up with the conventional… but we are not prepared to sit on our laurels. Qazana might seem a radical solution but important elements of the concept do point to a future Nissan production vehicle.”

The exterior of the crossover was created by mixing design elements from SUVs and sports cars, as well as from beach buggies and motorcycles. It has a tall stance like any SUV would, but it also features short front and rear overhangs and a low roof-line. As for the rear lights, they mimic a design found on the 370Z.

The notably SUV-like wheel arches work to make the car both masculine but also friendly, as they lend a bubbly and fun feel to the SUV. Those wheel arches are a carryover from the Qashqai design concept and also take inspiration from the Murano SUV.

When it finally does make its way into production the Qazana will be a smaller vehicle than the European Qashqai, which is already smaller than the North American Rogue crossover.

GALLERY: Nissan Qazana Concept

The next iteration of the amazing Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution could be offered as a plug-in hybrid. Due out in 2013, the EVO XI model could use the all-wheel drive plug-in hybrid setup that will officially be unveiled on Wednesday October 21st at the Tokyo Auto Show, reports the U.K.’s AutoCar. For the show, however, Mitsubishi is displaying this new technology in a crossover vehicle called the PX-MiEV Concept.

The vehicle’s name combines the automakers “MiEV” nomenclature, which stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, with a new “PX” designation, which stands for Plug-in Hybrid Crossover.

As a full plug-in hybrid, the Concept PX-MiEV can operate using either the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine, the electric motor, or both. On pure electric power it can travel up to 30 miles. Mitsubishi rates that crossover at an impressive 117.6 mpg!

In EV mode the vehicle uses just electric power for the short 30 mile distance. When the batteries are depleted, the gasoline engine then kicks in to recharge the batteries and power the electric motor (much like on the Chevy Volt). At higher speeds, the gasoline engine takes over completely. In addition, the PX-MiEV features the company’s S-AWC and E-AYC all-wheel drive systems, along with a new center differential electric motor that works to send power to the rear wheels. All these technologies are part of what Mitsubishi calls E-4WD, which uses electric rather than mechanical systems to optimize grip.

Currently Mitsubishi hasn’t made a decision about actually bringing a hybrid version of the EVO to market and recent repots have suggesed that development of the EVO XI has stalled completely.

GALLERY: Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Concept

[Source: AutoCar]

Contrary to popular reports (our own included) there will be at least one foreign automaker at the Tokyo Auto Show. Lotus has announced its attendance and the British sports car company will unveil what it calls the Exige Scura, a special edition vehicle along the lines of the Exige S 260.

With 260 PS (257hp) the Scura gets a pumped-up version of the supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder motor from the Exige S and is capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 152 mph. Other highlights include Ohlins two-way shocks, Eibach springs, launch control and Lotus’s traction control system.

What really sets this model apart, however, is the special Phantom Black paint and high gloss triple striped that run the length of the car. There’s also a carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber oil cooler intakes and side scoops and rear spoiler. The wheels also get a special matte-black coating. In total the car weighs 22 lbs less than the standard model.

“The Exige Scura is a stunning vehicle which offers an adrenaline fuelled experience and is a real head-turner,” said Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars. “Our Exige customers choose Lotus because we deliver thrilling performance and dynamic design and this special edition fits the bill on both counts.”

The Exige Scura will be available immediately following the car’s official unveiling at the Tokyo Auto Show on Wednesday and will be offered in Europe, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

GALLERY: Lotus Exige Scura

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The official reveal of Toyota’s FT-86 Concept is just a few days away but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a better look at the company’s latest sports car right now. The folks at FT86Club have dug up a large selection of studio shots that show the concept in much greater detail.

For starters, the car has loads of carbon fiber goodies. There’s a carbon fiber rear diffuser, as well as carbon for the door handles, mirrors and on the wheels. Inside, there’s even a carbon fiber center stack, which houses a push-button ignition. You can be sure these more exotic trims items won’t make it to the production model, but we do expect the general design cues to carry through. Hopefully that includes the intricately sculpted hood that really helps give the car character.

Be sure to check out the dozens of new FT-86 photos in the gallery below.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86 Concept Studio Shoot

Get more FT-86 News Here

[Source: FT86club]

While news and photos of the Nissan Leaf have been around for several months now, the electric car will get its official debut at the Tokyo Auto Show on October 21st. Nissan describes its functional five-door, five-seater compact hatchback as having a “high-performance, zero-emission” powertrain.

Output from the lithium-ion battery packs is rated at 80kW/280Nm, (107-hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque), which should make this sub-compact a sporty little car.

Nissan says it will be able to drive 100 miles on a single charge. The batteries will be able to be charged up to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes with a special quick charger, or in roughly eight hours through a standard 200V outlet. Nissan says that through extensive research the 100 mile range will be suitable for 70 percent of car buyers.

The fully-electric Leaf, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. next year, will be priced from $25,000 to $33,000.  Initially, 5,000 vehicles will be available in five U.S. markets: the Phoenix-Tucson region of Arizona, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and Tennessee. Fleet sales will also be offered in 2010, while full retails sales are planned for 2012.

Ahead of its official debut, Nissan also released a full gallery of new photos of the Leaf (including numerous interior shots), so be sure to check them out below.

GALLERY: Nissan Leaf

Nissan has chosen the Tokyo Auto Show to debut the next generation of the company’s top-level Fuga luxury sedan. Sold in North America as the Infinti M, it’s not clear if Nissan plans to offer the same 3.7-liter V6 (M37) and 5.6-liter V8 (M56) engine choices. Nissan will, however, deliver a hybrid model, similar to the M35 Hybrid that the company announced yesterday. Engineered comletely in-house, this new hybrid model promises increased performance with increased fuel economy and will use a lithium-ion battery pack, combined with an electric motor and Nissans 3.5-liter V6 engine.

In a sign of what is to come with the new Infiniti M37/M56, Nissan has said the new Fuga will contain several “worlds first” technological innovations.

GALLERY: Nissan Fuga/Infiniti M

Lexus has announced that along with the world premiere of a new two seater supercar concept, it will show the LF-Ch hybrid hatchback concept for the first time in Japan. Unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the LF-Ch is expected to lead to a production model, in Europe, by 2011.

Lexus sees the premium compact segment as an important one in Europe and wants to build the LF-Ch hatchback to compete directly with cars like the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Volvo C30.

Recently Lexus also posted a survey on it’s U.S. website, polling consumers on if the LF-Ch would be a viable vehicle for the North American market. With this debut in Japan, one has to think Toyota’s luxury arm is also thinking about a road-going LF-Ch for its home market as well.

Lexus has been typically tight-lipped about the LF-Ch concept, but it has registered the CT200h name in North America, suggesting that is what the car will eventually be called. We should also expect a hybrid powerplant aimed at giving higher performance with increased fuel economy.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Ch Concept

***UPDATE*** A video showing the production version LFA has been released, showing the car lapping the Nürburgring. A selection of photos has also leaked. See both below ***UPDATE***

Lexus first showed the LF-A concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, back in 2007 and has been incredibly slow about bringing the car to market. The lengthy process appears to have just gotten a little longer as Lexus has promised the world premiere of a two seat supercar at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks time. The only problem is, the automaker is still referring to it as a concept.

In an incredibly brief press release, Lexus said that, “This concept vehicle epitomizes the purest form of driving exhilaration and performance.”

The car is rumored to have a 5.0-liter V10 making as much as 500hp, with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and paddle shift transmission. Lexus has said the car will have a top speed in excess of 200 mph.

We expect this latest version of the LF-A to be extremely close to the production model and to learn more about the car’s performance capabilities.

GALLERY: Official Lexus LFA Photos

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Officially unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, Toyota is now set to give the Prius plug-in hybrid concept an official unveiling in its native land and in front of a more welcoming audience.

Toyota has said that the Prius PHV Concept will be able to travel up to 12 miles on pure electric power before the gasoline engine kicks in. Using a version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, the automaker says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric power. Even more impressive is the claim that it will be able to recharge fully in just 90 minutes.

Later this year Toyota will deliver 500 Prius PHV vehicles, 150 of which will be sold in the United States.

GALLERY: Prius PHV Concept

Toyota will take the wraps off an updated version of its FT-EV electric car at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks. Called the FT-EV II, the car is designed for urban use with a total range of 90 km (56 miles) and a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).

This news comes just days after Toyota Europe’s R&D boss downplayed the significance of electric cars.

Toyota says the FT-EV II is even smaller than the iQ city car, and yet has more interior room with seating for four people. Sliding side doors also make it easier to use in tight urban settings.

As for the operation, Toyota says all aspects of the car can be controlled though a joystick, including acceleration, braking and steering. In fact, part of the reason for the four-person space is the removal of the pedals, giving extra leg room for the driver.

The FT-EV II is still a concept car (like the strange Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea-themed  joystick didn’t give that away), but Toyota is moving closer to bringing an electric city car to market in the next few years.

Toyota will also showcase its Prius PHEV as well as the FT-86 sports car concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show starting October 21st.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-EV II

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Until today, if someone asked you what the best looking Toyota from the past decade was, you’d have a tough time thinking something up. As of today, the answer is the FT-86 Concept, which is set to officially debut at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month.

The name FT-86 brings together Toyota’s past and future, with the “FT” coming from the FT-HS hybrid concept from a few years back, while the “86″ is donated from the AE-86, a small rear-drive, two-door Corolla-based sports car (called the Hachi-Roku), made famous by drifters.

Other than the design of the car (which is certainly impressive with plenty of Lexs LF-A inspired goodness), we don’t know a lot about the FT-86 concept yet.

What we do know is that it will be light weight, with “racecar-like handling” and be powered by a 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder engine. While Toyota hasn’t said as much, this is most likely donated from the boxer-engine experts at Subaru – meaning that the FT-86 is the mysterious Toyobaru.

Toyota hasn’t said as much, but you can be certain this concept car is headed for production in the very near future.

GALLERY: Toyota FT-86 Concept

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Along with a plug-in hybrid version of the Swift, Suzuki is planning to unveil a hydrogen fuel cell-powered SX4 concept model at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month.

Under the theme “Small cars, big future,” Suzuki will show the SX4-FCV and several other alternative fuel vehicles. This particular vehicle is powered by a fuel cell stack and a 10,000 psi hydrogen tank.

The Japanese automaker is currently testing the SX4-FCV on Japanese roads and plans to bring a production model to market in the near future. We won’t hold our breath…

In addition, Suzuki will also showcase a new Mio electric wheelchair powered by “direct methanol fuel cells” that can be replaced rather than just recharged. Three new two-wheeled vehicles will also be on display, including the Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter that, much like the SX4, uses hydrogen as a fuel-source.

[Source: MotorTrend]

Suzuki is looking to take its small car expertise to new heights (and new distances) by unveiling a new plug-in hybrid concept at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks. Based on the current Swift platform that is sold in both Japan and Europe, this PHEV uses a 658 cc gasoline engine (0.7-liters), along with a 74hp electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack.

Working much like the system int he Chevy Volt, the car runs on pure electric energy until the battery is depleted, at which point the gasoline engine kicks in to charge the batteries.

We’ll have to wait until the Tokyo Auto Show (starting October 21st) to find out more about how far the Swift PHEV will be able to travel and how little gas it will use. We also expect to hear when Suzuki plans to bring a production version of this car to market.

GALLERY: Suzuki Swift Plug-In Hybrid

[Source: Edmunds]

Mazda has announced plans to raise as much as $1.1 billion in capital to invest in hybrid technologies for future vehicles. The news comes roughly 8 months after the automaker laid out plans to improve the overall fuel economy of its vehicles through advancements to gasoline and diesel engines, as well as transmission improvements. Many of these technologies will debut on the Kiyora Concept, which will debut at the Tokyo Auto Show in just a few weeks.

With those advances well on their way to hitting the market in production vehicles over the next few years, Mazda is still playing catch-up in the fuel economy race. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that Mazda relied on Ford for hybrid technology. Roughly a year ago, however, Ford reduced its one-third controlling share in Mazda to just 13.8 percent – and the U.S. automaker isn’t interested in sharing its impressive new hybrid technology.

Despite these challenges, Mazda is reasonably secure, having recently cut its forecasted net loss for the year in half. The company cites higher than expected sales and a stronger Euro for the boost.

[Source: Automotive News]

If you though Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric city car was both silly looking and impractical, perhaps the i-MiEV Cargo is more up your alley? Or perhaps not. With significantly more usable space, along with an even more ridiculous shape, the Cargo model is a concept that Mitsubishi is exploring for eventual production. The i-MiEV on which it’s based has already been given the green light with sales starting in Japan in April of 2010.

Designed more for urban transportation of goods than hauling hay, the tiny i-MiEV CARGO actually boasts a serious amount of cargo room, with the rear cargo space measuring 1,350 mm wide by 1,180 mm high and 1,100 mm high. That equates to 1,742.3 liters or 61.9 cubic feet of space.

The i-MiEV Cargo has a range of roughly 100 miles on a charge and makes 63hp and 133 ft-lbs of torque.

The i-MiEV Cargo will officially be unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show on October 21st.

GALLERY: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo

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