It didn’t take long for Akio Toyoda to make his presence felt as the new president of Toyota.
Only days after being announced as the successor to the top position in Toyota, Toyoda made it be known that it would probably take at least two more years for the company to recover from one of the most difficult times in its history.
As part of his strategy to improve Toyota’s business, Toyoda plans to veer away from producing volumes of cars at the expense of producing region-specific cars that would cater to certain areas only, as opposed to releasing a full line-up of vehicles to every region.
This strategy dramatically cuts costs for Toyota, which has been spending way too much money on cars that nobody is buying these days, a direct consequence of the global economic crisis that has plagued the auto industry.
Good news for German car collectors in the land of the rising sun. Audi of Japan has just announced that they will be releasing a series of extremely limited production special edition S5s exclusively for that market. There will be three different versions of the S5 Exclusive, and only 5 of each, priced at around $96,500.
The S5 Exclusive differentiates itself from ordinary Audi Sport coupes with a set of BBS mesh style 19 inch alloys wrapped in sticky 255/35 series rubber. The limited edition Audis will also feature unique color combinations. The wild purple paint looks like it was taken directly from a Mopar muscle car of the 1960s, and the chocolate leather interior of the pearl white model is enough to make Porsche jealous.
All 15 of these Exclusive examples of Audi craftsmanship are destined to become collector’s items as soon as they hit showroom floors. However we are still waiting for another special edition of the A5, the return of the Ur Quattro. If Audi ever decides to add the extra performance of the rally inspired car with the unique styling of the Exclusive, it would give BMW 6 Series owners something to watch out for.
Mazda’s rotary powered rocket, the RX-8, has been given a few updates by the Japanese automaker in order to keep their sports car current and a bit more user friendly. The four-door, four-passenger sport compact has received rain-sensing windshield wipers, Mazda’s auto-light system and an audio-less option, all standard. However the most striking of the recent upgrades comes in the form of two new color choices for the exterior: Aluminum Metallic and Metropolitan Gray Mica.
Mazda has left the lovable 13B alone; the two-rotor motor still makes 232 HP in manually shifter vehicles. However, we are still awaiting word of a turbocharger.
Falken drifter and Ford factory driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. recently made a trip across the Pacific with a purpose built 2010 Mustang in order to fulfill a longtime dream, drift in Japan. JR is the only American driver to win a D1 event, and because of this he is in league all his own. Follow Vaughn and his new ride as they travel Japan in search of sports roots; watch as he gets a taste for the togue, drifts the docks of Osaka and attends his first real Japanese drift day.
So check out the video after the jump, or follow the link below.
When the only American to win a D1GP event, Drift Alliance member and Team Falken driver, Vaughn Gittin Jr. made a trip to the land of the rising sun in order to introduce the 2010 Ford Mustang to the Japanese mountain roads he came across some interesting things, like this automated parking garage.
You would think that for the founder of the D1GP professional drifting series sliding a car sideways would be second nature. Given a quick tutorial by the "Monkey Man" Ken Nomura, Option Video and D1 pioneer Daijiro Inada gives drifting this S13 Silva a shot. As the video proves, drifting ain’t easy.
Have you ever lusted after Japanese sports cars? Only to be disappointed by the manufacturers not offering them for sale here in the U.S. Although a little unconventional, you can still get your hands on these high-performance machines. Thanks to companies like PicknBuy24 us Americans can take advantage of the Japanese government’s dislike for old cars (they tax the heck out of old cars to promote the sale of newer models) and pick them up at almost ridiculous discounts. For example: this R32 Skyline GT-R would look be perfect next to my turbocharged 240SX and at only $7200 plus shipping makes this early 90’s super car fit any budget.
In Europe and USA it is known as the Infiniti EX, but on the Japanese market it will be sold under the Nissan logo. Sales will begin later this summer.
The Nissan Skyline Crossover is powered by a VQ37VHR engine with VVEL technology mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode.
There is a new kind of green racing going on in Japan. The Prius Cup was started in 2007 to familiarize dealership staff with Toyota’s hybrid. The goal of the series is to promote conservation and teamwork. “Through this race, our teammates will understand exactly how these cars work, and I think this will benefit all my associates," said Kazuo Oguri, executive vice president of Nagoya Toyopet Corp, one of Japans largest Toyota dealers.
The Prius Cup is a 20 lap race comprised of both a service and a race portion. For service, the teams are clocked on how fast and how accurately they are able to service their car. This consists of everything from checking the oil to rotating the tires. During the race portion, three different drivers take turns behind the wheel. Teams are penalized for going too fast or even going too slow. Drivers strive to keep the car running as efficient as possible. A key strategy is accelerating slowly at the green flag and after pit stops, letting the hybrid vehicle’s electric motor do most of the work. Both the service and race scores are then combined to determine the winner of the day.
There is newfound enthusiasm for the Prius Cup in Japan due to the upcoming release of the third model. This is a perfect forum for dealers to show the manufacturer that they are ready and capable to sell the new Prius.
Usually when we talk about special edition Alfa Romeos, it starts off about how Europe gets all the good cars. But this time it’s Japan that gets the stunning Alfas. Like the 20th Anniversary Subaru WRX STI, these Japan-only special edition cars are a white-only job.
The White Edition is for the entire Alfa line. Prices will start from 3.5 million Yen (about $39,000 at direct current rates) for the Alfa Romeo 147 and go as high as 6.1 million Yen (about $67,000) for the Brera.
Is the package worth the cash? We don’t know. No other details were released. But out motto usually is, “if it’s Italian, we want it”.
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