Toyota Prius Custom Plus Concepts - 2010 Tokyo

If you couldn't find a modified Prius to your likings at the grounds of this year's edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, chances are that you never will. We lost count of how many customized Prius' made their way to the Makuhari Messe exhibition center, but Toyota alone displayed three different concept versions of its popular hybrid model.

Making its debut alongside the Prius G Sports and TOM's Prius studies was the Prius Custom Plus Concept (CCP) prepared by Toyota's in-house customizing and accessories division.

The prototype model looks thoroughly worked over thanks to the wide body kit that further accentuates the Prius hybrid's wedgy shape.

Together with the new nose job that boasts massive Lamborghini-styled air-vents, the Prius CPC gets custom-made fenders, beefy side skirts, new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser and side spoilers, and a large rear wing made out of carbon fiber.

Carbon fiber is also the material of choice for the new hood, roof, the cameras on the doors that replace the exterior mirrors and the rear panel on the trunk door.

The uniquely styled 18-inch alloy wheels that are shod on 215/40 R18 Goodyear tires sum up the exterior modifications.

The Fast and Furious / Racing theme is continued inside with the addition of gauges on top of the dashboard and just above the new steering wheel that's wrapped in Alcantara.

The same material is also used to trim the new Recaro bucket seats and most parts of the cabin.

Despite the go-fast looks, the only performance mods on the Prius CCP concerns the high-performance brake system and the sports suspension that lowers the car's ride height by 10mm up front and 15mm at the rear.

Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid concept packing 400-hp 3.3-liter V6

Back in November, the rumormill was set ablaze when reports began to surface that Toyota was working on a new MR2 packing hybrid power. Today, those rumors have been laid to rest... kinda.

In addition to the G Sport Series FT-86 and Prius, Toyota trotted out a concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon based on the third generation MR-S (ZZW30). Although the MR2 was nixed in the U.S. in 2005 (and in Japan in 2007), Toyota and its partners at Gazoo saw fit to resurrect its midship drop-top by fitting a 3.3-liter V6 where the old 1.8-liter four-cylinder used to reside and an electric motor mated to a THSII hybrid system up front. That's right, the MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept is all-wheel drive, and between the two mills, it's churning out over 400 horsepower through a continuously variable transmission (CVT).


But despite its boosted output, the 2,800-pound concept is a bit on the porky side compared to its 2,200-pound predecessor. Toyota claims it can run to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds – still better than the stock ZZW30, but at what a cost to the MR2's supreme chuckability? While there's no chance of Toyota putting the MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept into production, this could point the way for things to come – for better or worse. Make the jump for a promo video.








[Source: Gazzo via Carscoop]

Tokyo '09: Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept 2.0 Turbo in the Flesh

Tokyo '09: Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept 2.0 Turbo in the Flesh

We won't take the rumors about the Hybrid Tourer Concept spawning a spiritual successor to the SVX for granted, but we will say that the gullwing-door prototype may hint at the design language of future Subaru models. Beneath the skin, the all-wheel-drive Hybrid Tourer concept uses a direct-injection 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine mated to a continuously variable transmission. This is combined with a pair of electric motors, one for each axle and a high-performance lithium battery.


Depending on the driving situation, the four-seater Hybrid Tourer can be moved by the 27HP electric motor at the rear, the boxer engine or a combination of the gasoline and electric motors.

Inside, the Subaru model gets four individual seats and flat floor along with the usual futuristic and far-from production dashboard design that is common on concept cars of this sort.

Tokyo '09: Honda Skydeck Concept for a Six-Passenger Hybrid MPV

Tokyo '09: Honda Skydeck Concept for a Six-Passenger Hybrid MPV

Joining the near-production CR-Z hybrid sports coupe and the EV-N electric mini car at Honda's Tokyo Motor Show stand will be the Skydeck, a futuristic-looking hybrid minivan that could be pointing to a production MPV in the near future. While Honda provided us with plenty of pictures of the Skydeck concept, the Japanese company did not disclose many details on the vehicle.

What we do know is that the Skydeck can seat six passengers in three rows of seats and that it makes use of Lamborghini-style scissor doors up front and more conventional sliding doors at the rear. Power is provided by a hybrid drivetrain while the system's batteries are mounted underneath the center console that runs along the two front seat rows.