Five Highlights from the Tokyo Auto Show

This week in Tokyo, Japan, dozens of car manufacturers came to debut their new concepts, technologies, and production cars. Although sadly, many of these will most likely not make it to the US. Despite that, there’s still good reason to check out the cool, quirky, and wild designs that are on display, so without further ado here are 5 five noteworthy cars from the Tokyo Auto Show.

Starting off the list is this very interesting concept from Suzuki called the Wako Spo. Not pictured is its hatchback roof, because that is hidden in the trunk! The Wako Spo has a very innovative, albeit slightly useless, hatchback roof that slides vertically so it can be in use, or completely out of sight. The Wako Spo also features a plethora of retro styling details like its square shape and fender mounted mirror cameras, which are meant to resemble the fender mounted mirrors of the olden days. The Wako Spo is a good dose of nostalgia and a handsome little hybrid.

Up next is the Nissan Ariya, an electric SUV which is likely Nissan’s competition for the Tesla Model Y. Additionally, this car just might be the successor to Nissan’s incredibly famous Leaf, which was their first electric car. Although this is a concept, you should expect to see something very similar to the Ariya on sale in the near future. When a concept car looks normal enough to be on the road today, that usually means that it will be soon. This is also the debut of some new design language from Nissan, and it looks sharp.

Moving on, we have the refreshed Subaru Levorg, which is based on the Viziv Tourer concept that Subaru unveiled a while back. Right now the Levorg is a mostly bland looking wagon, but this new one is sharper, much more aggressive, and would look amazing in my driveway. But, of course, this won’t be coming to the US (even though it’s going to Mexico and Canada).

Lastly we have the cute Mazda MX-30, which is Mazda’s entrance into the electric vehicle market. Like the Suzuki Wako Spo from before, this car is chock-full of quirky details, most notably its ‘freestyle’ doors which will open in a suicide door fashion. On the inside is a very modern interior which utilizes sustainable materials like the cork on the dashboard inlay—made using the leftover cork from the production of bottle openers. This also harks back to the origin of Mazda, from when they were known as the Koyo Cork Company. All in all, the MX-30 is a very solid electric car for Mazda’s for first attempt.

Lastly we have this insane concept car from Lexus: the LF-30. It’s an electric SUV and it continues to prove that Lexus Is not stranger to boldness. The Lf-30 showcases Lexus’ gaping hourglass grill and ultra thin LED headlights at the front, which nearly goes right to the super flat windshield. Adding to this cars opulence are its huge gullwing doors, and massive 21 inch wheels. The lines from the windshield continue all the way to the rear spoiler, creating a distinguished look from the rear. Superbly luxurious and a bold statement, this is an excellent concept from Lexus, who have been on quite the design run in my opinion.