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The Tokyo Auto Salon made a huge comeback in 2022, after a year-long hiatus. Car enthusiasts agree—it was definitely worth the wait! Find out what the highlights were at this major annual auto event! 

If runways showcase the hottest up-and-coming clothing trends that are sure to be picked up in most boutiques and department stores around the globe, then a car show is the automotive world’s equivalent. Fashion has New York Fashion Week. The automotive world has Tokyo Auto Salon.

A major cultural event happening annually in the Makuhari Messe, the Tokyo Auto Salon is a celebration of the best and most cutting-edge in automotive design and engineering, showcasing models that have yet to hit the Japanese (and, by extension, the world) market, and as car enthusiasts know, that’s a really big market.

According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), Japan is the third-largest automobile producer in the world, churning out 9.68 million vehicles per year as of data from 2019. Japan’s domestic car market or “JDM” is a big deal, not just to Japanese people, but to car enthusiasts around the globe in general.

It’s become shorthand for “super cool but sadly unattainable dream cars” because JDM are exclusively sold in Japan. While one can always have a JDM imported, there are strict regulations for this rare practice.

The Tokyo Auto Salon offers international car enthusiasts the opportunity to dream and drool over many fine examples of marvelous Japanese machinery. Here, the biggest names in Japanese motors can be found going head-to-head with their latest prototypes and most jaw-dropping concept cars, pushing the envelope in terms of design and engineering. Here are five of the most buzzed-over cars from the event!

Toyota Gazoo Racing GT3

Reportedly, there were long lines to see the Toyota Gazoo GT3 prototype at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022. To outsiders who may only have a passing curiosity about cool cars, the Toyota Gazoo GT3 concept car just might be the real-life version of the Batmobile, and isn’t that already badass?

Nissan Fairlady Z Concept

The Nissan Fairlady has been a long-standing car enthusiast favorite, so it came as no surprise that it was one of the most popular exhibits at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. That’s the thing about a classic—we know it will never go out of style, and the best thing about it is newer models can only get better.

The Suzuki Jimny

Off-road vehicles are in a genre of their own, and these were well-represented at the Tokyo Auto Salon. One of the featured favorites this year was The Suzuki Jimny, a five-door behemoth that could take on even the toughest Tokyo terrain. It earned quite a reputation and was even nicknamed “The Mountain god” at the show. The Suzuki Jimny was custom-built by students attending the Nihon Automobile College (NATS).

RX-7

The Tokyo Auto Salon would not be complete without this fan favorite. If a car could be a rock star, the RX-7 would probably be it. Featured in movies such as Fast and the Furious and video games such as Gran Turismo, it is easily one of the most recognizable and iconic cars ever.

GR Yaris

“Kamikaze” was the nickname given to the souped-up model by Varis Japan shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022, and it sure came to play. The Yaris has a fascinating and inspiring history that perhaps pedestrians would be astounded to know. This hatchback is no ordinary hatchback, and when it comes to the top-of-the-line models, the Yaris could just about outperform them all.

JDM Conquers the World

The Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 was a tasty sneak peek into what could be in store for the automobile market very soon. While many outside the world of serious car enthusiasts may only see the shine, the flash, and the speed associated with all of these models, it would be more exciting to look out how these cars inspire carmakers around the world to take the best in technology and engineering and apply these to the cars that are ready to roll off the market.

As Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda said, “Machines must work in harmony with people to bring out their true capabilities”, and that certainly rang true for the participants in this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, whose work is a testament to the ingenuity and imagination of the human mind to make, modify, and magically transform these motorized machines. If the cars that were seen at this auto show are any indication of how exciting and dynamic cars this year and beyond could be, it would be, as the Japanese people say, subarashii.

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