Subaru Builds New WRX STI tS TYPE RA Special Only for Japan [w/Video]

Japanese automakers never really achieved any notable success in naming their cars and Subaru isn't exactly helping change that notion with the new WRX STI tS TYPE RA, which is a special edition version of its high-performance Impreza sedan made exclusively for the local market.

Did we mention that there's also an optionally available package, with which the car's name becomes the "Subaru WRX STI tS TYPE RA NBR CHALLENGE PACKAGE"?

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Allegedly Real Photos of 2014 Honda Fit – Jazz Surface Online

After the all-new Mazda3 came to life on the web before its official reveal, it's time for another Japanese carmaker to have one of its upcoming models pre-maturely released online – or so we believe, as we're not 100 percent sure yet.

Today, we were tipped off from Shrawan Raja of Indiasautoblog about three screenshots of the next generation Honda Fit sub-compact, which is also marketed as the Jazz in other markets around the world, including Europe, purportedly sourced from an official brochure.

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New Honda Accord Hybrid Lightly Tuned by Mugen

The new Honda Accord Hybrid won't go on sale in the States until October, but it's already available in Japan where the carmaker's official tuning arm Mugen has presented a selection of goods to customize the sedan's appearance and to some extent, improve handling. Read more »

Wald's Vision of What a Darker Audi A7 Sportback Should Look Like

If you're not feeling Audi's "S" trim line and optional accessories and are seeking a more customized and less "I see that around every corner" kind of look for your A7 Sportback, perhaps you should take Wald International's upcoming tune under consideration. Read more »

Look at What the Japanese Came Up With to Solve Their Bicycle Parking Problems

It's no secret that space is limited in Japan, which is why architects and engineers strive to come up with novel solutions and ideas to make the best of what they have to work with.

As you can see in these pictures on Michael Flux's website, another thing we know about Japan and its people, is their love for bicycles. Combine the two and you have a problem, especially when it comes to parking in crowded cities.

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Mitsubishi Releases New eK Wagon and eK Custom Minis in Japan [w/Videos]

Small or so-called "Kei" cars remain popular in Japan and one of the most successful brands in the category is Mitsubishi that has launched the third generation of its eK series, the name of which stands for "excellent Keijidōsha", or "excellent minicar". According to Mitsubishi, the previous version of the eK sold more than 750,000 units in Japan from 2006 through 2012. Read more »

Another Round of Photos of the 2014 Mazda3 Hatchback, But Are They Real?

Most of our readers have likely read about the 2014 Mazda3-debacle (if you haven’t, please do so here), which had our original (and may we say quite accurate) rendering being picked up without credits and without watermarks by several sites and blogs after it appeared in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch's annual "Car Wars" analysis.

Anyway, it would appear that AutoTribune, one of the sites that hosts our rendering, in its vandalized state, posted a photo with a realistic-looking 2014 Mazda3 hatch sourced from an unnamed Japanese magazine.

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Autoproject-D's Murdered DMC Lamborghini Aventador Molto Veloce Project

German tuning brand DMC is sharing these images of a blacked out Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 built by Japan's Autoproject-D. Now, you might be wondering why one tuner is advertising the work of another. The answer is because Autoproject-D used DMC's "Molto Veloce" styling kit. Read more »

BMW Releases Japan-Only 7-Series V12 Bi-Turbo Limited Edition Model

BMW will sell a limited edition 7-Series model in Japan called the V12 Bi-Turbo, and which is somewhat similar to the 760Li “V12 25 Years Edition”.

Based on the 760Li model, the 7 Series V12 Bi-Turbo is powered by the same 6.0-liter V12 gasoline engine with double VANOS technology that produces 544 PS (536 hp) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque, identical figures to the standard 760Li.

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Nissan Recalls 841,000 Cars Worldwide for Steering Glitch, Most of Which are Micras

Nissan has announced a recall of about 841,000 vehicles globally, 763,000 of which are Micra subcompacts (also known as the March), due to a steering wheel glitch.

The models involved in the recall are the Micra produced in Britain and Japan between 2002 and 2006, as well as the Cube (78,000 units), built in Japan around the same period. Japan’s second-largest automaker said it is recalling vehicles in its home country, as well as in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

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VW Recalls 91,000 Vehicles in Japan Citing DSG Problems…Again

The reliability record of the VW Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) is taking a hit with a great deal of reports coming in from around the world for not behaving like they should, and dealers refusing to come up with a viable fix.

Apparently, these self-shifters just don’t cope with "hot and wet climate, extreme stop-and-go traffic as well as pollution typical of some Asian cities", says a report from Reuters, citing a company spokesman.

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Drift King Compares Philosophy Behind Honda NSX to that of Ferrari’s F430

Aside from a very insightful opinion into what makes a sports car great, by comparing an old Honda NSX to a Ferrari F430, the so-called "Drift King", Keiichi Tsuchiya, can also drive both of these cars closer to the limit than most of us could ever dream of. This is probably going to be some of the best onboard driving footage you’ve seen recently, all thanks to the all-important footwell camera, which captures each heel-and-toe downshift and really shows the skill that goes into it. Read more »

Wald International Hands Mercedes-Benz Viano Some Styling Oomph

Large people carriers like the Mercedes-Benz Viano, which in some countries, including Japan, is sold as the V-Class, are designed from the offset to put the emphasis on practicality and spaciousness, leaving the eye candy-aspect of the build on the side.

While you can't convert a minivan originally developed to transfer goods into a sleek looking sports car, you can spice up its appearance, which brings us to Wald International and its Mercedes-Benz Viano program.

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Watch the Bugatti Veyron Tackle Fuji Speedway with Le Mans Winner Seiji Ara Behind the Wheel

Japanese magazine Motorhead released a video with the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport taking on Japan’s most scenic track, the Fuji Speedway, located at the foothills of Mount Fuji. Driving the 1,001-hp car is 2004 Le Mans winner, Seiji Ara, so expect to see the Veyron driven very fast on a twisty track - something we don’t get to watch very often.

The Veyron is more of a straight-line machine, and its speed records certify that - however, that doesn’t mean it can’t do corners.

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BMW Woos Japanese Consumers with New 5-Series Exclusive Sport Edition

The marketing division of BMW Japan is looking for select buyers, 300 of them, to be precise, for a new special edition version of its 5-Series sedan and Touring (station wagon) models dubbed "Exclusive Sport", which are offered with a choice of two four-cylinder engines, a 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol for the 523i and a 2.0-liter force-fed diesel for the 523d. Read more »

Daihatsu Baptizes the Toyota Prius V the New Mebius in Japan

Daihatsu, the Japanese automaker controlled by Toyota, has released a rebadged version of the Prius V (sold as the Prius α in Japan) for the domestic market. Called the Daihatsu Mebius, it is the second Toyota hybrid model rebadged as a Daihatsu, following the Camry hybrid’s transformation into the Daihatsu Altis. Read more »

Nissan Versa Note Gets Aggressive Makeover by Impul Tuning from Japan [w/Video]

The kindest words I could attribute to the first generation Nissan Note would be to call it "very boxy-looking" and "quite unattractive." Now, with the new generation car, which keeps its name in Europe while being sold in North America as the 2014 Versa Note, we are treated to curves and modern-looking swoopy shapes, and a generally more aggressive looking package.

However, if you want to take your Note one note higher (pun intended), then Japanese tuner Impul's comprehensive list of modifications should satisfy your desire.

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Nissan Compares 2014 GT-R Against 370Z Coupe and Infiniti FX on the Snow

That the GT-R is a high-performance sports car you can potentially use all year round and in a variety of weather conditions (just as long as you can afford the upkeep…), is a well-known and accepted fact, but how good is it really in snow and how does it compare to other vehicles?

Well, that's a question that would be better answered by someone not related to the company itself for apparent reasons, but that doesn’t mean we're not interested in what Nissan has to say about it in a new video it has released.

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Nissan Tells Us All We Need to Know About Clay Models in Video

All present cars are designed on a computer, the modern equivalent of stories such as the one about how children would climb over Sir William Lyons' manor wall and watch Mr. Jaguar sketch out his designs in the back yard do not have a modern equivalent.

If they did, it would imply the kids would be familiar with the use of window-washing equipment, so as to ascend to the upper floors of the skyscrapers where cars are dreamt up nowadays, and peer through the glass at computer screens.

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Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and i-MiEV's Li-Ion Battery Fires Linked to Grounded Boeing 787s

Mitsubishi said on Wednesday that a an Outlander plug-in hybrid's batteries melted at a dealership before it was delivered to a customer, while a i-MiEV's batteries caught fire at its Mizushima Plant in Okayama prefecture in Japan during testing. In both cases, the battery pack is made by GS Yuasa Corporation, in Japan.

Now, what makes this story interesting is that, according to reports, GS Yuasa Corp. is the same company that supplies batteries for the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner, all of which have been grounded since January after battery fires.

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