Articles by Peter Lyon

Just days after the cancellation of the British Motor Show, the first major international casualty of the global economic downturn, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has decided to shorten this year's Tokyo show in October by four days.The decision for the 41st running of the event comes with a growing number of no-shows.In addition to America's big three _ Chrysler, Ford and General Motors _ the list of cancellations for 2009 runs to Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Renault, Lamborghini, Hino Motors, Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso (trucks and buses) and Nissan Diesel.All have blamed the economic slump and the list is expected to grow.Chinese and Korean carmakers will also stay away.That is why JAMA, which earlier this year seriously considered cancelling the show altogether, has also decided to downsize the area used from the normal four halls to possibly as few as two at the giant Makuhari Messe site in Chiba prefecture, one hour east of Tokyo.But all is not lost. According to one source close to Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker will inject extra effort into this year's show in an attempt to stimulate the market.The Toyota source says the production version of the V10-powered Lexus LF-A supercar will be held back from its planned debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show to star in Tokyo, while the company will also reveal a car rumoured to have been put on hold _ the Toyota-Subaru joint-venture rear-wheel drive sedan that employs an Impreza platform and drivetrain.Toyota will also display a full range of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as well as the latest EV and battery technology.Originally scheduled to run from October 23 to November 8, the show's new closing date will be November 4. 

And if that's the case, why didn't we tell you about it earlier?Simple. Because it's not a GT-R wagon. But we got you thinking, didn't we?Small Nagoya-based tuner, Kids Heart, who are known in Japan as a specialist maker of drift cars, decided to have some fun with a GT-R body. And this is the result. It fooled a lot of visitors including some Nissan engineers too, who thought they'd been left out of something.Appearing at last weekend's Nagoya Auto Trend show, the car you see is a Nissan Stagea wagon with a GT-R front end modified and attached for a GT-R look.It is not fitted with the GT-R's 480hp V6 twin turbo.They say they plan to sell the wagon as a complete customised car for around 2m yen.

Some major makers will skip the biggest car event in Asia, and others are planning to spend less, but the organisers are pressing ahead.The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has just confirmed the show is on, even though Nissan led a push by a couple of Japanese brands for either a cancellation or a postponement until economic conditions improve.The American 'Big Three' - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler - will definitely not be in Tokyo in October.The uncertainty over Tokyo comes after trouble with shows in many major markets including Australia, which is moving rapidly towards a single national motor show from 2010.The turnout at the North American Motor Show in Detroit in January was well down on previous years, both in the number of manufacturers at the event and their individual spending.Some companies, led by General Motors, trimmed their Detroit budgets by more than $1 million.Chinese carmakers, Brilliance and BYD, even got prime real estate in the heart of the show - instead of being shown to the basement - for the 2009 event as the number of no-shows included Porsche, Mitsubishi, Rolls-Royce, Suzuki, Daihatsu and Infiniti, the upscale arm of Nissan."We feel that it would be self-defeating to launch concepts against the backdrop of the intense Big Three survival story," says a Nissan spokesman.Even Honda, which had its massively important new Insight hybrid in Detroit, avoided an official press conference to save more than $1 million on its show budget.GM has justified its decision to skip Tokyo by revealing it spent more than $2 million on its involvement in Japan in 2007.Chrysler, which exhibits are more than 60 major motor shows each year, is putting the emphasis back on the day-to-day display at its dealerships.The true picture for the Tokyo show is still not clear, but one source in Japan says he only foreign manufacturers who 'may' come this year are the only ones actually selling any volume in Japan, which means Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. Even BMW is in strife.While some French and Italian carmakers remain upbeat about Japan they are unlikely to be at the show and even Brilliance and BYD, which took up the slack in Detroit, will not be at the show as they have no presence in Japan. 

A minivan with a difference is getting closer to showrooms in Australia. The Subaru Exiga, which lines up closest to the Mazda CX-7 in a new-model showdown, is being assessed for a local launch and has already impressed the top man at Subaru Australia. It is a category breaker. It ticks a number of boxes and follows the pattern set by the Forester and Outback, Nick Senior says. We're calling it a versatile utility vehicle. It drives like one of our driver's channel cars, but is versatile, with seven seats. A first look at the all-new Exiga people mover in Japan points to a stretched Outback, and it does borrow heavily from the Liberty, Impreza and Forester. But the Exiga is genuinely new, and taps the time of the original oil shocks in the 1970s. It is priced from about $45,000. The first flat-four powered minivan to come along in 30 years could be the ideal car for its time. The Exiga is slightly wider, longer and taller than the Outback, the extra roof height ensuring third-row passengers get plenty of headroom. Its 80mm-longer wheelbase also aids in maximizing rear seat legroom, and in a car that is less than 10mm longer than the Outback. Having botched several exterior designs big-time, including the 2000 bug-eyed Impreza, Subaru decided to play it safe with the Exiga. The basic shape will date quickly and the only redeeming features are its wing-inspired grille, large sunroof and wide rear-door windows with superb visibility. But it is a superbly assembled jigsaw puzzle of the very best Subaru technology, picking up the front end of the Forester with a new tail and the Impreza's double-wishbone suspension. The Forester also donated its engine, and the five-speed automatic with SI-Drive and brakes comes from the Liberty. Ride quality and comfort levels, too, are in class-leading territory. Subaru originally built the Exiga for Japan. Subaru US decided it would be too small, but Australia is keen and Senior is pushing.  

Australia is missing out again on the best of the best in the Subaru garage.The stove-hot Legacy STi S402 will not be taking on Liberty badges or an Australian price, despite its popularity.The S402 arrives as the countdown begins to the next new Liberty, timed for the middle of next year.It is the work of chief engineer Hideharu Tatsumi, who has produced the best-handling Liberty yet.Tatsumi has recently moved from Subaru to STi after tuning every Liberty and Impreza as Subaru's chief test driver for the past 20 years. He is quick to admit certain budget restraints — on the design side — meant he could not play around with the sheet metal.“But even with those restrictions, we have a car that looks the business and delivers on the road,” he says.The unique mesh grille in the S402 is complemented by flared front fenders that were specially widened to take larger BBS rims and wider 235x40R18 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber.He wanted to redesign the front bumper section to give the car an even sportier look, but a price about $600,000 for the special mould stopped that plan.“When you divide our limited run of only 402 units into $600,000, well, that adds an extra $1500 to each car. The bean counters would have none of that,” he laments.Other cosmetic touch-ups include a fake side air vent, a rear lip spoiler and special S402 emblems. But what was saved on the body upgrades was spent on the hardware.The car uses a 2.5-litre boxer unit with a twin-scroll turbo from STi, a tweaked engine control computer with increased boost and a sports muffler. Power and torque are up only slightly, but the objective was instant go and — by tweaking the gearing — maximum torque arrives from only 1800 revs with a strong pull all the way to 6000 revs.It's now possible to take second-gear corners in third, with huge response and plenty of grip.If a word could describe the S402's throttle, steering and braking responses, instant would have to be it. There's less play and greater rigidity in the throttle pedal than the current Liberty, and no understeer.Tatsumi has tweaked the steering rack from 15:1 to 13:1 for quicker turn in, and added STi-tuned dampers and springs. But it's the addition of three flexible performance bars — one across the front strut towers, one under the engine across the front suspension mounts and one across the trunk — that generates the S402's precision.It's a pity about the swanky soft leather seats, which unfortunately don't have the side support you need when pushing through fast bends.We don't have to forgive anything about the brakes, though. They are phenomenal, thanks to a monoblock six-piston Brembo package.First impressions lead to conclude this car is made to punish.The car is not coming to Australia until at least 2012, when the next STi Liberty is ready for the road. 

The road-car lap record at the Nurburgring race circuit in Germany has been claimed by Lexus. It is not an official claim, but the coming LF/A supercar is said by company insiders to have bettered the mark set by Porsche with its turbocharged GT2.The existing mark was 7 min. 25 sec, set by former world rally champion Walter Rohrl in a GT2, and Lexus insiders say the LF/A managed 7.24.The Lexus mark easily beats the previous Japanese star, the new Nissan GT-R, by about 12 seconds.But, as there is no official timing at Nurburgring — which is used by most major carmakers for testing because of its long and demanding layout — no one is really sure.Porsche still claims the outright mark for a production car with its Carrera GT, a supercar in the Ferrari class, though its rivals tend not to include it when claiming kudos for their cars. And it denied claims at the Tokyo Motor Show in October that the GT-R had bettered its GT2 lap time.Lexus is now pushing hard with the LF/A, which has been delayed since it was first previewed at the Tokyo Motor Show two years ago.One source close to Lexus says the test mule has a 4.8-litre V10 engine co-developed with Yamaha, and pumping an incredible 420kW. Spinning to 9000 revs, the engine uses Formula One technology and is installed mid-ships in the LF/A, but just ahead of the cabin.The rear-drive LF-A's performance and handling are said to be closer to that of a racing car than anything Toyota has built before.With a slippery drag co-efficient of only 0.26, against most production cars in the 0.29-0.30 range, the LF-A is rumoured to have a top exceeding 330km/h.The car is expected on the road in 2009 and Lexus Australia is holding firm orders in the hope that it will get cars for local owners.

The right car and a bit of fear can do a great job of clearing a congested road, even in a city as crowded as Tokyo.There is an unwritten law about making space for big black or white limousines — usually a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or a Lexus LS — when you see them pushing their way through traffic.If you see one of these cars blocking a driveway or parked on a corner, it's best to drive on by.That is what the locals do — because Mr Average really does not want to cross paths with whoever might be inside the luxury Lexus or blitzer Benz.It's the same for me. I like my life. One time, crawling along at 15km/h in heavy city traffic, I spot three black S-Class limos in my rear-view mirror and watch as they thread their way through the congestion.Their precision at maintaining single-file formation and their ability to block both lanes by straddling the centre white lines is as eye-popping as it is educational.Yet no one gets upset. No one honks a horn. No one thinks about calling the police.When members of Japanese criminal society yakuza are on the move, you let them go.But why do they choose the cars they do and what is their car culture?The best idea was to sit with someone from the yakuza and ask, but that is something a Japanese writer would never even consider.Why? Because Japanese think it's too direct or even rude to ask such a question.But a foreigner, even one with fluent Japanese after 20 years in the country, has more licence.There are still rules and you can plead ignorance, but you have to be aware that if you cross paths with this underworld society you had better know when you can ask questions and when to shut up and move on.After many weeks of tip-toeing around potential cross-cultural minefields and careful diplomacy to locate a possible candidate, one yakuza boss finally agreed because, as I understood it, he was intrigued with the foreign media.Fighting back the urge to ask him whether he'd seen Michael Douglas's yakuza movie Black Rain, or if he watched the TV series The Sopranos, we agreed to meet in a park in Tokyo.I could tell you the exact location, but then I'd have to kill you. Just kidding.We spoke about cars, brands, status and driving, and his candid replies were unexpected.These guys were not packing weapons, of course, because in Japan the yakuza don't normally carry guns.Even so, the extent of their politeness and concentration on my questions was a surprise.“So, why do you drive an S-Class Mercedes?” I ask.As expected, the boss talks about Mercedes' strong build quality, as well as the car's power and high status levels.“The S-Class has plenty of power, looks good on the road and has a lot of luxury inside. Nothing really comes close, except maybe a Lexus LS,” he said.After one obvious question and a straightforward answer, I push my luck a little.“So why do you use tinted windows?”Without any hint of irritation, he answers: “Because we like our privacy. It also pays when certain people (our rivals) cannot see inside our car.”I query: “But why choose left-hand drive?”He says: “They don't come in right-hand drive, so we settle for left.”That may have been the case 10 years ago in Japan, but now you can get an S-Class in right and left-hand drive.Still, these well-dressed gents will stay with left-hand drive because it commands more status — or generates more fear — and that is very effective at clearing a crowded road.Feeling comfortable with the interview, I ask how they practise for the tight formation driving I witnessed.“I'm not quite sure what you're talking about,” he said, and I realise I am pushing my luck and have used enough of his time.Bowing profusely, I thank the yakuza and humbly excuse myself.Japan is a country of extremes and that is reflected on the road.On the surface, people seem very polite and courteous. And most are.Even road rage is far less of a problem than in many Western countries.Japan is a land steeped in traditional and unwritten rules, and you have to know your place.If you're going to drive in Japan's mega-cities you need to be aware of an underworld organisation that lives a parallel existence to mainstream society.One day it might confront you, so knowing how to respond — or not — is one way to remain on the streets.As the yakuza boss says: “You have to know your place and show the right level of respect. Otherwise things can get out of hand, and quickly.”

In my book, it already was the best car in its class, and the improvements take it a further step beyond the competition.  Mazda has not fiddled with the good looks of the 121, a car that is immediately recognisable on the road and demands attention.A distinct benefit of the upright design is the roominess of the cabin, accommodating the tallest driver with an ease that is unprecedented in small cars.Boot space is also good, even though a proper spare wheel has now replaced the nonsensical space-saver tyre used previously.  The boot lid lifts well clear of the load space, and the rear seats fold forward to enable larger items to be carried.Price remains the bugbear of all Japanese carmakers, and the manual 1.5-litre car costs $16,695 while the auto is an extra $1305.  Mazda's price-leading model at $14,990 retains the 1.3-litre engine, does without power steering and has cheaper interior trim and wheel covers, and black (instead of body-color) bumpers.PowerThe big news for the 121 is the power boost that comes with a 1.5-litre engine, which can be driven through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.  The extra 200cc puts the 121 into a class of its own with more power than its micro-car competitors and below the more expensive 1.6-litre small-car class.Like the 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine, the single-cam 1.5 has electronic fuel injection and four valves per cylinder.  Power has been increased 15 per cent over the 1.3-litre unit and torque has been improved by a useful 13 per cent.Extra grunt is particularly welcome for buyers who want air-conditioning, particularly in automatic models, although the test car came with the manual gearbox.  The 1.3-litre 121 was noted for ease of driving and ability to potter along without having to change gears continually.For those looking at the 1.5 engine, the news is only better with an impressive spread of torque and the electronic injection providing crisp response.On the roadGear-shifting is easy and the ratios are nicely spaced, although the engine's roar at highway speeds seems to call for slightly taller gearing in fifth.  Perhaps that is why fuel economy for the manual averaged 9.0 litres/100km in the week's test.While it may look tall, the 121 performs well in all conditions whether easy cruising or pushing hard through corners.  The gearing seems well matched to the engine's torque and the crisp response is noticeable from the driver's seat.The competitionThe 121 stands out with its ability to fit into more than one category, taking on a wide variety of rivals.  It is cheaper and better than the Honda Civic Breeze 3-door hatch, which enters the stakes at $18,990 with a 1.5-litre carburettor engine.Korean carmaker Hyundai has not been hit with the price rises forced on the Japanese by currency movements.  That makes the 1.5-litre Excel a strong rival with the LS sedan at $16,990 - but it has nowhere near the style of the Mazda.Mitsubishi's Lancer is also available with a 1.5-litre engine at $19,086 for the sedan and $19,402 for the 5-door hatch.  For something completely different, there is the Russian-built Lada Sable sedan at $12,990 - a willing performer but without the 121's style.An extra 200cc for the Mazda leaves a range of 1.3 litre cars lagging behind.  These include the Daihatsu Charade in 3-door hatch from $15,910 and 5-door hatch from $16,345; the Ford Festiva 5-door hatch at $15,174; and the Suzuki Swift sedan from $16,890.Holden's Barina 5-door hatch at $15,760 is, like the Festiva, being run out ahead of a new model. So you can probably do better than the official prices.