PRIMERA

The global popularity of heavy-duty pickup-up trucks just keeps rising, with automotive companies placing their bets on their own aces. Toyota, being a global force in car manufacturing, could be entering this segment with an ace in the hole. Loud rumor has been spreading of SEMA 2021’s Toyota TRD Desert Racer Tundra concept potentially being the Japanese brand’s preview of its upcoming all-terrain truck. The infamous SEMA show truck was reportedly equipped with TRD-sourced suspension upgrades and 37-inch all-terrain tires housed in an off-road wide body kit during last year’s event. It was also equipped with metal bullbars and grille-mounted amber lights, completing the off-road motif. There has been no official word from Toyota as of yet. The company has been secretive regarding the possibilities of having a production version of the TRD Desert Racer concept truck. The strong hype surrounding the pick-up’s potential reveal was learned from a report of “The Drive” stating that...

American automaker Chevrolet commemorates the 70 th anniversary of the Corvette with the release of the limited edition package for the 2023 model. The company announced that the package will be available for both the base Stingray and the newly revealed Z06. The company marks 2023 as a significant year for the brand. For one, the original All-American Supercar Killer celebrates its 70th birthday, marking the original C1 Corvette’s success as it was first launched in 1953. Another significant moment will be the arrival of the new Corvette Z06, whih will be powered by a potent 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 gunning 670 horsepower with 460 pound-feet of torque. According to the company, the limited edition package will be offered in two colors—White Pearl Metallic Tri-Coat and Carbon Flash Metallic—both of which can be had with matching racing stripes. The package also includes a special wheel design paired with commemorative badging and red trimmings. The interior is finished w...

  Mitsubishi is reviving the off-road van market with the new Delica D:5 Tough x Tough. Introduced at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, the rugged camping van caters to a more utility-oriented outdoor market with its heavily modified body and suspension. Aesthetically, the new Delica concept stays true to its rugged pedigree. The new model gives an impression that it’s ready to tackle the great outdoors with all the integrated aftermarket parts and Ralliart accessories. It doesn’t fall too far behind the likes of the Montero Sport or the Strada, albeit functioning more as a spacious hauler. The van sports a matte black exterior accented with contrasting red panels. It was also equipped with functional accessories such as a bulbar protecting its bumper, a lower grille, bolted over fenders and fog lights to help with navigating through rough terrain. Mitsubishi also outfitted the Delica concept with 16-inch alloy wheels, all-terrain tires, front and rear bumper guards, and metal side ...

Only 500 limited edition models will be released. Each one personalized with the owner’s track data. Toyota set the compact hatch segment a notch higher with the race/rally-spec GRMN Yaris as it made its official debut at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. The GRMN (Gazoo Racing tuned by “Meister of Nürburgring”) Yaris is an evolution of the already potent GR Yaris. The company claimed that this model was a fully tuned race car that has gone through rigorous refinement with professional drivers and race engineers. Toyota had made a great deal of effort regarding the development of the GRMN Yaris. This model was the embodiment of Gazoo Racing Department’s philosophy of “commercializing motorsports cars.”  This move had pushed the company to try a different approach in producing sports cars. Toyota had developed the GRMN Yaris as a competition car first before it became a production vehicle, rather than adapting a production model for racing. True to its driver-first initiative, the GRMN Yar...

These Japanese students converted their teacher’s Suzuki Jimny to this Five-Door Mini Monster Truck. You know you’re in the right school when your teacher allows you to cut his car in half to be your final exam. This is exactly what happened to the students of NATS Japan (Nihon Automobile College / Nihon Automotive Technology School), who made a name at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon after modifying their teacher’s Jimny into a 5-door mini SUV. The Jimny officially represented NATS at the event, showcasing the school’s curriculum and the skills of their students. The vocational program of the college allowed students to use the resources of the school to creatively build their dream project cars. In order to finish the project, the students had to cut a donor car in half and weld panels. The students also stretched the donor body as well as the roof behind the B-pillar to fit the additional pair of doors. They also modified the rear fenders to make the project work. However, NATS students w...

Enigmatic . This is the only way to describe the new Toyota GR GT3 concept. As the concept car was teased and finally unveiled to the public at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota has left people with more questions than answers. For one, the company hasn’t announced a production car like it, yet. This breaks the fundamental rule of GT3 racing, which required manufacturers competing in this class to use a platform based on a mass-production car. This begs the question on what platform will the new GR GT3 concept would be based on? Furthermore, if Toyota seriously intends to compete in this class, will this purpose-built race car be a mass-production vehicle in development? If that’s the case, then there’s definitely more reason to celebrate. More race cars for more people, right? Aside from this, the philosophy is not too far from the vision of Gazoo Racing to begin with. “Commercializing motorsport cars,” has been something Toyota had given its fans, which was received with open arms. T...

Subaru made a bold announcement at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon after unveiling their Yamaha-powered EV hypercar, the STI E-RA. The company intends to beat the record time set by Porsche’s 911 GT2 RS on Germany's (deadly) Nürburgring racetrack. While not giving a direct challenge to Porsche, Subaru set an ambitious goal of finishing the famed track under 400 seconds, or exactly six minutes and 40 seconds. This particular record lap time was set by Manthey-Racing’s 911 GT2 RS at the 20.6-kilometre long circuit, on the 25th of October 2018. If you don’t know by now, these Japanese companies like to make it subtle but direct to the point, as much as they make it respectful. According to the report, the motors supplied by Yamaha will draw electricity from a 60-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, enabling the STI E-RA running on its four in-wheel electric motors to deliver output at about 1,072 horsepower. Despite the race-oriented effort, developing t he  Nürburgring-ready ...

These models could be the final Bugattis powered by the special W-16 engine. Luxury hypercar maker Bugatti revealed that all 500 units of the Chiron and all 40 units of the Bolide have been sold out. With this news, it is predicted that final units of the Chiron and Bolide could be the last Bugattis powered by its massive 8.0-liter W-16 motor. Moving forward, the company may shift to an electric powertrain and future models may be developed with Croatian automaker Rimac, which merged with Bugatti. Bugatti shocked the world when it announced that the Bolide concept would go into production as a track-only hypercar. With a futuristic design and a potent 1825-hp quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16 engine, the concept seemed mythical at that time. But Bugatti walked the talk, and pulled-off one of the most radical cars of its era. It was reported that all 40 Bolides have been sold out, with each new owner shelling out about $4.8 million. Bugatti also reported that the Chiron had also been sold out. ...

Honda continues to tease its fans as the company released a video of the 11th-generation Civic Type R in action at Suzuka Circuit in Japan, before its anticipated debut at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. Still dressed in its prototype camouflage, the new generation hatchback borrows heavily from the design cues of the standard model, but appears to have a more aggressive styling. The front fascia is pronounced with its honeycomb mesh grille and ventilated hood, while the car’s sportier design is accented by the front lip and air intakes. These features are complemented by its sportier side skirts and lightweight wheels, which can be seen having equipped with Brembo braking system in red calipers. The most important part of the car’s visual aesthetic is its sporty hatch silhouette. Honda equipped the new prototype with a rear wing and a center-mounted triple exhaust, a ventilated bumper and a conservatively minute diffuser to complete its design. Not much has been said about engine specifica...

Mitsubishi Motors is expected to launch the Vision Ralliart Concept at Tokyo Auto Salon 2022.  The concept is based on the second-generation Outlander  SUV, equipped with sporty front and rear bumpers, a bold front grille and large rear diffuser. Aesthetically, the concept’s design sports aggressive off-road styling, with prominent wheel arches housing its 22-inch wheels. The Vision Ralliart is painted in matte black with a subtle blue undertone which can only be seen when light hits its surface. The Outlander will also show an “Adventure Style” specification. This option includes camping kit add-ons and strengthened bumpers catering to outdoor enthusiasts.  Mitsubishi is expected to reveal specifications about the engine on the event itself. However, as far as the latest automotive trend suggests, a plug-in-hybrid powertrain is not outside the realm of possibilities. This reveal hints at how Mitsubishi will develop performance-inspired Ralliart models based from stan...

The AE86 earned its reputation as the underdog king. An affordable lightweight car powered by a modest-yet-capable 4AGE engine. This car has been the stuff of dreams of many as much as it was an iconic part of pop culture, thanks to the popularity of drifting and Japanese racing. It was also through the undeniable influence of the Initial D franchise that propelled the humble AE86 to cult status. So much so, that one man decided to resto-mod the only AE86 in Uruguay by equipping it with a Ferrari F430 engine to compete in drifting. In an interview with Motortrend – Super Street Features, Fernando Montero described his love affair with his AE86. He spent the last 13 years rebuilding and modifying the car. The chassis was described to be in horrible condition and was totally wasted when Montero got it. But the owner gradually saved enough resources to not only restore the car, but turn it into a one-of-a-kind dream build. Montero did not only fix the car for show but to perform well ...