More people in Japan are visiting city centers after the government lifted restrictions on travel between prefectures on Friday.
Mobile phone location data show that, as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, the number of people around Shinjuku Station in Tokyo was 9.9 points higher than a week before.
A 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R that has been modified by Veilside is available for a cool $120,000 – or more than a brand new 2020 R35 GT-R, which starts at $113,540 in the U.S.
The Autoblog Show returns to Fios TV this Sunday for its third episode, this time, from the country of Japan.
Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder, Senior Producer Christopher McGraw and Producer Alex Malburg head to the headquarters of Nissan and Subaru to test out the companies' latest in autonomous and electric vehicle technology. Afterwards we travel to the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, to travel through the company's long history, from motorbikes to champion F1 cars and everything in between.
Just a few months after being unveiled in prototype guise, two production-ready versions of the new Subaru Levorg have been spied testing in Japan.
Acura brought its Type S concept to last year's Monterey Car Week as a glimmer of what we could expect from the all-new TLX coming next year. Since then, we've had better glimpses of the sedan in unintended leaks, the first in Acura's own infotainment system, now in patent images from the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Discovered by French forum Worldscoop, the details in the grayscale drawings match the color image from the infotainment software, giving us another look at hotly anticipated sedan that will infuse much-needed excitement into Acura's lineup. Even though the images show rear bumper cutouts plenty large enough to house quad pipes, the patent is presumed to show the standard TLX trim, not the Type S trim we know is coming.
Even so, we can see plenty of Type S concept influence even with the less aggressive bodywork, such as the narrower upper grille and more pronounced lower grille, the garnish on the lower intakes, the side mirror design, and flared rear fenders. The rear end in the patent shows the same taillamps and decklid shutline, aero vents in the bumper, and the reshaped license plate holder moved from the trunk to the bumper.
During last year's World Final of the FIA World Tour in Gran Turismo Sport in Monaco, Mazda announced it would become an official video game partner this year, the automaker's centenary. The Japanese automaker then teased a sketch of its RX-Vision GT3 Concept, a GT3-class racer based on RX-Vision Concept shown at 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, penned by global design boss Ikuo Maeda and headed for Gran Turismo Sport this year. Polyphony Digital has finished modeling the car and just debuted it on the game's official site. Now dubbed the Gr.3 Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept, the slinky crimson contender will soon become the second GT3-class Mazda in the game alongside the Atenza Gr.3. Polyphony says the race car will arrive on May 25 as part of an online update.
Usurprisingly, the final product is toned down from last year's teaser sketch, yet the teaser was so wild that the in-game version retains plenty of extravagance. Drivers can see over the hood now, but the front splitter is even more extreme, the nose more chiseled and angry, fenders and hood drawn with new lines and more character, and a front-exit exhaust pokes out of an aero duct behind the front wheel. Revised struts hold the giant rear wing aloft, and a less outlandish diffuser sheds its tall endplates but still makes a menacing sight from the back.
Toyota has more Yaris-based goodness planned for Europe, not the U.S. The Japanese automaker teased its coming B-segment crossover that will start with the Yaris' GA-B platform and add a hair of extra length plus more ride height. The image of the rear corner shows a narrow taillight in bodywork with overtones of the larger, C-segment C-HR crossover. Planned for debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show, all the carmaker would give away with the teaser was that that the new offering "combines elevated ground clearance with intelligent all-wheel drive" and will feature "Toyota's latest hybrid technology." Toyota's European EVP Matt Harrison has previously said, however, that the car isn't "just a Yaris with body cladding and raised suspension."
The C-HR connection isn't an accident. In a previous interview with Auto Express, Harrison explained that the C-HR has been a success in terms of gaining conquest buyers. The C-HR's market is growing in Europe as well as splintering, at the same time the supermini hatch segment that the Yaris lives in "is also growing, pulling customers down from the C-segment." A Yaris-based crossover would give Toyota a challenger for the Ford Puma and Nissan Juke, and give shoppers a less expensive option than the C-HR.
In Japan, around 200 evacuees landed on Wednesday morning at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Officials say several of them have symptoms such as coughing and fever. They say passengers received medical exams on board. All have been sent to medical institutions to undergo tests.
The four who are showing symptoms have been brought to a special medical institution for infectious diseases.
Toyota has just released a teaser image for the Chicago Auto Show, and it should get the attention of off-roaders. It shows a tan Toyota Tacoma cruising through a dirt road, indicating that the company has off-road variants coming. While the image suggests a Tacoma, it won't just be the midsize pickup getting special or updated models. The company released a statement alongside the image: "The forecast for the Windy City looks sporty and outdoorsy, with a touch of nocturnal mischief as Toyota debuts new variants to the portfolio." We're rather curious about the "nocturnal" part. There may be some new lighting features on some of the off-road models. Toyota introducing rugged or special-edition trucks and SUVs at the Chicago Auto Show is becoming something of a tradition. Last year it brought the RAV4 TRD Off-Road, Land Cruiser Heritage Edition, Sequoia TRD Pro and updated Tacoma. The year before that featured a bunch of TRD Pro updates.
The Japan Tourism Agency has made video clips showing manners and customs of the country amid the rise in the number of foreign travelers.
The ten one-minute videos seek to cope with a phenomenon known as "over-tourism," which causes tensions between visitors and residents.
About 250 Imperial Guard Headquarters members paraded solemnly through central Tokyo on Jan. 25 with unwavering determination ahead of the upcoming historical events in accordance with Emperor Akihito's abdication of the throne.
The members of the Imperial Guard Headquarters, dedicated to the protection of the emperor and his family, marched in perfect unison with 12 guard horses and three guard dogs during an annual parade through Higashi Gyoen (east garden of the Imperial Palace) to mark the beginning of the year.