Car Sport 2011: Japan

Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

10/27/10

DAMD goes Low-Key with Mitsubishi Outlander Sport [RVR / ASX]

In what could be one of the most subtle proposals to come out of the DAMD tuning shop yet, the Japanese aftermarket company presented a rather tasty styling kit for the new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which as you probably already know, is called ASX in Europe and RVR in Japan.

DAMD's modifications include an aero/styling kit with a front lip spoiler, side sills a central rear apron with add-ons on both corners of the bumper, and a roof spoiler. All parts can be ordered in the same color as the rest of the car or in a matte black finish, which looks pretty cool on the white Outlander Sport pictured here.

The tuning firm also adds a sports exhaust and the option of 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels from Crimson wrapped around 245/35R Bridesgtone tires.

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It might not be for "U.S.", or any other market outside of Japan, for that matter, but the new JDM Subaru Forester tS deserves our attention. Based on the Forester S-Edition, the tS has been upgraded with a raft of STi parts including a modified suspension that sits 15 mm lower than usual, 17-inch alloys, a front spoiler and the customary tS logos.

Inside there are STI sport seats wrapped in a combination of leather and Alcantara as well as a sports steering wheel and a modified instrument panel.

Power comes from a 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer engine matched to a five-speed automatic transmission.

Japanese customers will get to choose between four exterior colors and will have to pay 3,450,00 Yen (US $42,227 or €30,646) for the base model. Subaru said it plans to produce a total of 300 examples of the Forester tS.

By Csaba Daradics

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Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing: Lexus SC gets Mercedes-Benz AMG Makeover...

I really should hate this as much as that '95 Thunderbird with the '50s Ford front end, but I don't.

Maybe it's because this Z30 Toyota Soarer, otherwise known as the first generation Lexus SC in the U.S., with a Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM-esque front end and SL AMG rear end is so well done. Heck, it's a lot more convincing than those Miata-based replicas we see so often.

Of course, it's not all good. The window line is more E46 BMW M3 than CLK and the rear end looks more like a S15 Nissan 200SX than it does a Mercedes-Benz. And there's all that jiff about besmirching the manufacturer's name with this cheap knockoff, and ruining the original car.

Though it has to be said the Z30 Soarer was kinda boring to look at. It had those rounded, utterly inoffensive designed-by-committee looks that most Japanese cars of the '90s seemed to have. So if anything, this is a noticeable improvement.

Am I a heretic? Tell us in the comments below.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: Minds Farm

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Toyota is getting ready to present a new generation of its Japanese domestic market Vitz supermini, which we will come to know (with a few changes here and there) as the 2012 Yaris.

For this reason, Toyota launched a mini site teasing the new car through some cropped images and text, which unfortunately, is in Japanese - any help with the translation would be appreciated. From what we understand, the new Vitz / Yaris will either be unveiled or is planned to go on sale in Japan, in December

The teaser shots on the site match the leaked brochure images of the JDM car that have been making the internet rounds these past few days. The catalog pictures reveal a more aggressive and edgier styling language for the new Yaris, while we also learn that the car is 100mm longer in total length and 20 mm shorter in height, compared to the current model. It also gets a 50mm stretch in wheelbase, which should improve interior space.

We'll keep an eye out for any new information and pass it on as it comes.

Link: Toyota Mini Site , Brochure Shots: Minkara & Lo Vitz

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