Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

The official unveiling of Toyota’s much anticipated FT-86 sports coupe happens later this week at the Tokyo Motor Show, but that hasn’t stopped the Japanese automaker from leaking footage of the GT 86 (the car’s actual name, in Europe at least) in advance. We’re not sure if it will land on these shores under a Toyota badge or a Scion badge (since Scion did show a version as the FR-S), but we are sure of this: Toyota pretty much violated the gentleman’s agreement with Subaru to reveal the respective cars at the same time.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

The Toyota GT 86 will use a Subaru-supplied, 2.0-liter boxer-four engine, good for 197 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. of torque. Both a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic gearbox will be offered, and the car will come to market with a 53-percent front, 47-percent rear weight distribution for balanced handling.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

It’s too early to talk about specific performance numbers, since we don’t even know what the car will weigh in U.S. trim. Sill, I’d expect a 0 – 60 time of under seven seconds with a top speed of 140 or so, unless Toyota cheaps out and equips the GT 86 with H rated tires. If that’s the case, expect the top speed to be electronically limited to 135 mph.

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

Toyota's GT 86. Image: Toyota of Europe

Barring any further delays, I’d expect the car to go on sales in the U.S. in the first half of next year. Now that Toyota has (finally) shown us what the car looks like, expect further details on the FT-86 (or GT-86, or Scion FR-S) in the coming months.

Source: Autoblog

The Mazda Takeri concept. Image: Mazda

It’s no secret that the current Mazda6 is overdue for a replacement, and sales of Mazda’s midsize offering have been unimpressive in recent years. That’s a shame, because the Mazda6 was class-leading when the previous generation debuted in 2002. Over the years, Mazda has seemingly lost focus with the Mazda6, to the point where it’s no longer competitive with offerings from Ford, Toyota or even Hyundai.

Enter the Mazda Takeri, a concept that will be shown at this year’s Tokyo Auto Show. While the Takeri is just a concept, there’s reason to believe that the styling of the next Mazda6 will borrow heavily from the lines of the concept sedan. We say that’s a good thing, since the current 6’s styling blends too well into the background. Mazda needs a standout midsize sedan to draw the faithful back to the brand.

A word of caution, however: Mazda seems to be focused more on fuel economy than on performance these days, so don’t expect a high-output engine in the next gen 6. We will get a diesel variant, likely a turbodiesel, and it’s possible that the production Mazda6 will even use the Takeri’s regenerative braking system to reduce electrical load and boost fuel economy.

Expect the Takeri to make its North American debut at January’s Detroit Auto Show.

Source: Autoweek

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Car shows are always popular choices for automotive designers and manufacturers to debut their latest and greatest creations. They’ve been known to debut cars that run off everything from grass clippings to jet fuel, as well as cars so small that they’re only meant for one person. Some of these machines are ingenious and light years ahead of what the market is ready for, however thanks to cars shows we have the opportunity to gain a glimpse into the future of the automobile. Below is a list of events from around the world that should fulfill the needs of just about every automotive enthusiasts.

• International Motor Show – Geneva, Switzerland
The International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland has been held every year since 1905 and showcases a wide variety of rides from classic, to electric vehicles, to cutting edge concepts.

• Tokyo Motor Show – Tokyo, Japan
The Tokyo Motor Show is the world’s most anticipated car show. It has been running for over 40 years and features cars from over 12 different countries. However, it’s the wide variety of unique and crazy machines that really get the people talking.

• Beijing International Automotive Show – Beijing, China
China has really made its mark on the automotive industry by featuring some very unique car exhibits. A relatively new car show, the Beijing International Automotive Show has already debuted some of the most talked about cars for the future. Including most recently a small yellow electric car (electric cars are coming out left and right) that looks like something out of a cartoon.

• The New York International Automotive Show – New York, New York USA
The New York International Automotive Show is the largest single enclosed event in the city of Manhattan. Manufacturers are primed and every spring debut some of the greatest cars scheduled for the upcoming model year.

Last month, Toyota broke the news of their intention to translate the wild success of the Prius into an entire brand with the first model to be the Toyota Sai. Pictures and specifications were scarce at the time, but Toyota did stress that the Prius Sai (Sai Prius?) would be a sister to the dedicated hybrid from Toyota’s luxury arm, the Lexus HS 250h. Perhaps suffering from a poorly cooked dish of Indian cuisine, we immediately conjured up images of a Prius sedan that shed the odd and, to be quite frank, ugly aesthetic of the current Prius for a sleek new design. Obviously we were sorely mistaken.

As Toyota promised, the 2010 Sai is virtually indistinguishable from the HS 250h and despite its official classification as a sedan, it could easily be mistaken for the 5-door Prius. Fortunately, the Sai’s bland design language is not the only feature it shares with the HS 250h as power is sourced from the same 2.4L four-cylinder/Hybrid Synergy drive combination found in the Lexus. Thanks to this notable performance boost, the Sai achieves roughly the same fuel economy as the Prius hatch (35mpg) while still producing a respectable combined 187 horsepower.

Pricing for the 2010 Toyota Sai has yet to be announced, but regardless of the final mark-up it will carry little relevance until Toyota confirms plans for a U.S. debut.

Source: Toyota

Despite the bevy of manufacturers that will be MIA at the Tokyo Motor Show this year, those that have elected to participate promise to make it worth our while. Topping our list of the vehicles we’re anxious to see is the the newest murdered out creation from Lotus, the Exige Scura. Not surprisingly, the name “Scura” is a loose translation of the Italian word for “dark” and is intended to reflect the ominous exterior aesthetic.

Aside from the Phantom & matte black paint finish, the bulk of the Exige Scura’s consuming presence is courtesy of more carbon fiber than even we, fiber fanboys (erm, girls) that we are, even dared to imagine. Thanks to the staggering weight reduction achieved by the aforementioned material, the Scura’s specs are just as impressive as its eye candy and Lotus says the Exige Scura’s 260-horsepower turbocharged 1.8L 4-banger is capable of reaching 0-100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds. Further proving it more than worthy of the track, both Lotus Launch Control and Lotus Traction Control are standard features, as are Ohlins 2 way adjustable dampers, Eibach Springs with variable height spring platforms, matte black lightweight forged wheels and Yokohama 048 LTS tires.

As you might have expected, the luxury of owning the newest Exige variant doesn’t come cheap and prices range anywhere from €40,000 to €61,820, depending on your location in the EU and if you’re a wealthy gearhead in the States expect to pay much more handsomely.

Source: Lotus

…or “revisited,” for those of you who were not as alert in 5th period English as you probably should have been.

Initially unveiled a few weeks ago in preparation for its inaugural debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, the first photos and our initial review of the Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept were slightly less than favorable (as most of our reviews usually are). Today, Subaru has graced us with a new photo spread of the Hybrid Tourer Concept and has simultaneously softened our hearts towards the open air oddity.

Okay we lied, we still don’t like it.

The bright white iPod-esque interior temporarily threw us for a loop, but after scanning through the press brief that accompanied the first set of photos we immediately remembered why we disliked it so much. Subaru is known for functionality (the Forrester) and fun (the Impreza WRX STi), neither of which the Hybrid Tourer Concept appears to be. As a matter of fact, the Hybrid Tourer Concept actually seems to be yet another shallow attempt by an automaker to compete in the race to go green regardless of whatever design and engineering principles consumers value most in their vehicles.

Bottom line: as we said before, it’s a nice try but nothing we’d buy. Show us Ken Block drifting with Stella’s EV engine and then we’ll talk, Subie.

Earlier this week we brought you official coverage of the new Toyota FT-86 Concept‘s first pre-Tokyo unveiling, and today we’ve got a set of renderings to further sate your rabid Hachi-Roku lust. Although you were probably hoping for more info regarding exactly what kind of Subie Boxer monster is under the hood, the best the sketches can give you is a little bit of eye candy. Official details will likely be released with the Hachi Roku’s official unveiling, but we advise you to bask in the bliss of ignorance now since anything with a Toyota badge on it is guaranteed to suck the soul right out of the Subaru powerplant.

Source: Autocar

Alright now listen up because we’re only going to say this once: the Daihatsu Deca Deca Concept is pretty cool. Maybe it’s just the impressive way in which Daihatsu chose to display the Deca Deca’s flexible functionality in the press photos, or maybe we’re just feeling unusually charitable today, but either way we find ourselves tipping our hats to Diahatsu.

Unfortunately, the Deca Deca is merely a concept and will be sharing the spotlight at its Tokyo debut with five other Diahatsu vehicles (none of which are really worth reading about, trust us), so the press release detailing the Deca Deca’s many features was sparse to say the least. Really all we know is what can be immediately gleaned from the photos, which is probably for the best since it’s a safe bet that whatever is under the hood would make us weep for humanity…but that’s neither here nor there.

What we do know about the Deca Deca concept is that it was engineered to be a multi-functional “super box” that could be modified to accommodate a wide range of activities. As such, the low, flat floor and pillarless, side-by-side doors (135 degrees) were designed provide superb ease of ingress and egress and loading and unloading and the fold-away seats can be removed or rearranged to suit everything from an impromptu business meeting to hauling tools.

No word yet on production intent but again, that’s probably for the best.

Source: Daihatsu

Appearing alongside Nissan’s highly publicized future production EV, the Leaf, at the Tokyo Motor Show in a few weeks will be another full-electric vehicle from the somewhat eccentric minds of Nissan known as the Land Glider Concept. Powered by a lithium-ion battery pack and constructed using extremely lightweight materials, the Land Glider Concept is Nissan’s answer to the heavy congestion of city traffic. Not only does the basic construction of the Land Glider make maneuverability and storage relatively effortless, but the 1+1 seating configuration makes it slim enough to cut through the dense concentration of cars, bikes, and pedestrians that litter metropolitan areas.

To put it simply: the Land Glider Concept provides the same convenience (and roughly the same power) of a moped, it’s just a helluva lot fruitier.

Source: Nissan

Well, the integral design principle itself definitely holds our attention, but the betrayal and disgust we leftover from the Honda Insight still weighs heavily upon our hearts and thus makes it difficult to generate enthusiasm for the Honda Accord Crosstour. Nevertheless, we here at RL are consummate professionals and as such will strive to overcome our personal feelings in pursuit of unbiased journalism. Or at the very least we’ll try to keep the snark to a minimum.

Anyway, in preparation for its upcoming debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda has released new interior photos of the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour showing off its versatile XUV capabilities. As the name implies, the Accord Crosstour is underpinned by a modified version of the Accord chassis and will provide a less utilitarian alternative to would-be CR-V and Pilot buyers. Thus, to pander to the more active yuppies the Crosstour’s standard FWD can be replaced by AWD as an optional upgrade, and both drivetrains will be powered by a 3.5L i-VTEC V6 engine suitable for hauling a designer pop-up camper. Thanks to the coupe-like styling, the Crosstour’s interior will not feature the same rugged functionality but Honda insists buyers will still find it more than capable of accommodating their needs. “Honda has a longstanding reputation for maximizing interior space and utility in its vehicles,” said Erik Berkman, vice president of corporate planning and logistics for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Like the award-winning Honda Fit, the Accord Crosstour uses a versatile design to create an interior that functions with the practicality of a larger vehicle.”

In November, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour will hit dealerships across the U.S. where it will sit atop the Accord lineup as a premium offering. Pricing and raw performance specs will likely drop shortly beforehand at its inaugural Tokyo debut.

Source: Honda