2011 Tokyo Motor Show: Best of Show

The production version of the rear-wheel-drive Subaru BRZ made its debut here in Tokyo. Engineered in partnership with Toyota, the BRZ is meant to deliver stellar handing and a sporty feel, if not massive power. The 2.0-liter 4-cylinder horizontally opposed boxer engine will get the benefits of Toyota's direct-injection technology. The Subaru BRZ, which is nearly the same car as the Toyota GT 86, will go into full production early next year.

View Pictures:  Tokyo 2011: More Debut Cars

While still decidedly a station wagon, the Alltrack's body has morphed the Passat physique into a more aggressive and off-road-focused form. Choose the gasoline version and you'll get an engine that turns out 207 horsepower through a direct-shift dual-clutch transmission. However, VW does not plan to bring the Alltrack to the U.S., where drivers are more enamored of SUVs and crossovers than station wagons, no matter how tough they look.

Read Blog:  Volkswagen to Debut Passat Alltrack at Tokyo

The Sportback adds two doors to the popular A1 compact hatchback, as well as a bit of height and shoulder room. But while Europeans will be invited to start ordering the Sportback before the end of the year, Audi has no plans to offer this handsome package to the American crowd.

Read:  Hottest New Hatchbacks of 2012

As promised, Honda pulled back the sheets on its electric EV-Ster concept car at this year's show. On the surface, the rear-wheel-drive 2-seater is not bad to behold. At just under 12 feet long, it looks small, but carries a style that is both distinctly Honda and appropriately forward-thinking. However, it claims terrifically underwhelming performance: zero to 60 kilometers per hour (that's 37 mph) in five seconds. And even with such lackluster acceleration, Honda says its little roadster can cover just 100 miles on a charge.

Read:  Driving Electric

One of the most eye-catching concepts to be revealed at this year's Tokyo show was the Mazda Takeri 4-door sport sedan. Mazda has outfitted this muscular design with its SkyActive-D clean diesel technology, and although it is not a hybrid, the Takeri does have regenerative breaking and a start/stop feature that would turn off the engine when the car isn't in motion. Though it's a concept car, we're probably looking at design themes that will emerge in new Mazdas soon.

Read Blog:  Takeri Concept Hints at New Mazda6

We've known for some time that the Prius family is growing, but the Tokyo Motor Show gave us our first grille-to-grille encounter with the Prius C — or Aqua, as it will be called in Japan. The Prius C combines the Hybrid Synergy Drive of the familiar Prius with a 1.5-liter engine and a smaller body profile borrowed from the Yaris; the C is 18 inches shorter than the standard Prius. This new incarnation will mean a lower cost and even better fuel economy. The Prius C will hit Japanese streets before the end of the year and the rest of the world shortly thereafter.

Read Blog:  Toyota Looks to Future at Tokyo

While the Nismo division of Nissan has traditionally lent its racing cred only to pricey sports models, Nissan hinted that it may release a more performance-oriented version of the Juke. Nissan unveiled for the first time a Juke Nismo with a lower chassis, bigger wheels and some attractive additional body curves. There are no concrete plans yet, but Nissan says that enough popular support could land the Juke Nismo in showrooms.

Read Blog:  Nissan Reveals Juke Nismo Concept

With an elegantly aggressive body shape, Volkswagen's Cross Coupe plug-in hybrid concept gives the impression of being larger than it is; in reality it's shorter than a Tiguan. Under the skin, the Cross Coupe has a turbocharged gasoline engine paired with a plug-in hybrid drive that places one electric motor on each axle, effectively giving it all-wheel drive. VW says the Cross Coupe can travel up to 25 miles on pure electric power from its lithium-ion battery pack. Otherwise, details are scarce.

Read Blog:  VW Previews Cross Coupe Concept

Jacob Gordon is a freelance writer, a blogger for TreeHugger.com and a producer of TreeHugger Radio. He can be reached at jacob@treehugger.com.