2026 Tokyo Auto Salon Wrap Up

Every January, the Tokyo Auto Salon — don’t confuse it with the Tokyo Mobility Show, which takes place every two years in Japan’s capital — celebrates everything automotive personalization, from race cars to show cars. There’s something for everyone, as long as you like custom cars.

And this celebration of excess doesn’t just attract tuners and gearheads. Even the country's largest automakers take to the show floor to show off their wares, so we decided to show you the coolest stuff that was shown off at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon.

A Nismo Concept and a Nissan Surprise

Nissan made a splash by unveiling the Aura Nismo RS concept, which is based on the Aura, a subcompact car that’s similar to North America’s (now discontinued) Versa Note.

At first glance, we of course note the enormous box fender flares, the aggressive front end, the imposing rear spoiler, and you may have even noticed big red brake callipers. What you can’t see is that the Aura is equipped with hybrid e-Power powertrain from the Japanese version of the larger Rogue e-Power. The car is also sure-footed thanks to Nissan’s e-4ORCE all-wheel drive system.

For now, this is just a concept, but since there are still performance fans in the world, we wouldn’t be surprised if this little hot hatch got the go-ahead from the automaker’s leaders. Now we just have to wait and see if Nissan’s North American wing will be tempted by a small car with a big powertrain — the Sentra sure could use a Nismo version…

But that wasn’t Nissan’s only interesting product. The automaker also showed the first pictures of the refreshed Fairlady Z (or simply Nissan Z on our side of the Pacific). Purists will no doubt rejoice now that the front end has been reworked to look even more like the one on the first generation of the 240Z thanks to its pointier nose. Even more exciting, aside from the usual updates (more colours, features, etc.) the high-performance Nissan Z Nismo may also get a manual transmission to go along with the nine-speed automatic it currently uses. The updated Nissan Z will go on sale as a model year 2027 vehicle in Japan. At time of writing, it is not yet clear when North American readers can expect to see the update arrive.

Honda: Performance for the Road and the Trail

Over at Honda, the recently unveiled Prelude is understandably drawing a lot of attention. Notably, well-known aftermarket companies have gotten a hand on the ball and will allow owners to modify their hybrid coupe.

The Civic Type R was also represented on the show floor, with the HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) Concept, which will be equipped with modifications to push the limits of fun. And road vehicles weren’t the only ones to get some love from HRC.

The Passport TrailSport HRC was also shown off at Honda’s booth, which, of note to you, dear reader, will be exclusive to the North American market. In addition, TrailSport versions of the CR-V and HR-V were also on hand and also got HRC graphics packages.

Subaru Unveiled Four STI Models, But Don’t Get too Excited

Ever since Subaru removed the WRX STI from its lineup, not a day goes by without fanboys complaining about its absence. In Tokyo, the automaker revealed four new models that celebrate the storied moniker without quite living up to it.

To start, Subaru showed off the WRX STI Sport#, which brings the manual transmission back to the performance sedan, but does nothing to improve the 2.4L turbocharged engine’s performance. Elsewhere, the engineers added some chassis improvements and some appearance modifications.

The automaker also unveiled the R-Black Limited STI Performance package on the WRX sedan and the closely related Levorg wagon. Both feature sunrise yellow paint, though they are available in other colours, too.

And finally, Subaru decided to tack some more letters onto its sedan with the Impreza ST-H STI Performance. It features 17-inch wheels, STI logos, reworked side sills, a centre exhaust tip, and a rear diffuser. In short, Subaru is trying to keep the memory of STI alive but, for now, won’t release a full WRX STI — at least not one that enthusiasts will be satisfied with.

Toyota Shows Off a GR Yaris Dedicated to the Track

In North America, Toyota enthusiasts get the GR Corolla, but elsewhere, it's the smaller GR Yaris that (with a nearly identical powertrain) gets enthusiast’s hearts racing. And, at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the automaker showed up with a track-focused version of the car, dubbed the GR Yaris RR Morizo.

Just 200 examples of the carbon fibre clad car will be produced (100 for Japan, 100 for other markets). To prepare it for the racetracks of the world, it gets a revised suspension, the eight-speed automatic transmission from the GR Corolla, and a “Morizo” button (which is named after Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda’s race car-driving alter ego) that splits the torque equally between the front and rear axles.

ItalDesign Pens a Love Letter to the NSX

As if that wasn’t enough, we end our list with an homage to one of the most fondly remembered supercars of all time: the NSX. Created by Italdesign, the car combines design elements from the first and second-generations of the Honda/Acura’s mid-engine wonder.

Just a handful will be made, and all are based on the second-generation NSX.