Tokyo 2009

Press releases and pictures are all well and good, but you can never truly gauge a car until you see it in the metal. Hence the reason for this - a quick-stop guide to initial reactions to the new and interesting stuff at the Tokyo Motor Show. You can also read our news story to see what we thought of the show as a whole, but here's the rundown on the interesting stuff that caught our eye... 

Lexus LF-A

It's arrived at last, Lexus's V10 supercar, but it's virtually impossible to get close to because of the huge crowds throning around it. The cutaway chassis is very nearly as cool as the finished car - you can see the carbon fibre crash structure ahead of the front suspension, as well as the massively intricate cast aluminium suspension. If you're not convinced by the looks, the awesome sound from that V10 should do it for you.

Honda Skydeck concept

This six-seat design concept takes a revised version of the Insight's hybrid drivetrain and packages it neatly within a centre console that runs the length of the cabin floor. Far more importantly, it has scissor AND sliding doors. Ingress/egress overkill: we love it.

Lotus Exige Stealth

By far and away the meanest looking car at the show, the matte black paint is sprayed on top of a gloss layer to give the contrasting stripes. Weight is down by 10kg to 940kg and just 35 will be produced at £45,000 each.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo

It's the panel van version of Mitsu's all-electric i-MIEV. If you've ever wondered what Postman Pat will drive in The Future, here's your answer.

Described by the manufacturer as a 'super box'. Difficult to argue with that, really. No exciting hybid drivetrains or future tech here, but just look at it. If you don't slightly want one, you're dead inside.

And, back in the slightly-less-weird world, here's Daihatsu's new kei car, looking like an uneasy mix of Skoda Fabia and Toyota iQ...

Honda CR-Z 2009 concept

Technically this is still a concept, but only the blue lights and the wheels will change. Don’t expect it to drive like it looks though – despite the historical association with that name, the CR-Z is being pitched as a nippy city car.

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV concept

This hybrid plug-in SUV looked a bit dull in the pre-Tokyo photos, but in the metal it’s more interesting as there’s a bit of the Ford Edge about the chrome around the front. And, crucially, it looks pretty much production-ready.

Nissan Land Glider

This all-electric two-seater from Nissan leans into corners - like that tilty Carver, but with a vital extra wheel...

Nissan Leaf

Tough not to feel a bit underwhelmed by this car. The nose sticks out an awfully long way and the rear lights are distinctive, but other than it being Nissan’s first electric production car, there’s little remarkable about it. Sorry.

Nissan Qazana

Still the stand-out car on the Nissan stand, despite the Qazana now being seven months old. Apparently about 75 per cent of the styling will remain for the production version, which can only be a good thing. Road presence is guaranteed here.

Subaru Hybrid Tourer

This gullwinged concept looks absolutely stunning in the metal. There's clever stuff underneath, too - Scooby's two-litre boxer engine is linked to a pair of electric motors in a unique hybrid configuration.

Toyota FT-86 concept

We're getting deeply, deeply excited about Toyota's affordable, rear-drive coupe. Developed in conjuction with Subaru, it features a two-litre boxer engine and should be priced under £20,000 when it goes on sale in a couple of years time. Bar a couple of concept trinkets, that exterior looks suspiciously production-ready. Jolly good.

How is this even possible? Toyota is billing the FT-EV II concept as a car even more compact than the really-very-compact iQ... but with seating for four. That extra space has been created by ditching traditional controls like the brake and accelerator pedals: instead, the FT-EV is controlled by a bizarre Flight Of The Navigator-style joystick device. Mmm, conceptual...