Excessive accessories are on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon

The Japanese tuning industry may finally be emerging from the economic slump if this year's Tokyo Auto Salon is an accurate barometer. The three-day spectacular--Japan's equivalent of SEMA--attracted nearly a quarter-million visitors, all eager to get a glimpse of the latest cars and the newest excessive accessories for 2011. Here's a recap: The Honda CR-Z was, without a doubt, the car of the show, and some versions were tuned to deliver up to 300 hp, thanks to turbocharging or supercharging kits.

McLaren Production Centre opened by PM David Cameron

Call me Dave at Woking with Ron, Jen & Lew The launch of McLaren Automotive and the McLaren MP4-12C has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Ron Dennis and McLaren. The reviews of the MP4-12C were overwhelmingly positive – with a few small caveats – and the press, on the whole, loved that McLaren were taking on the might of Ferrari with a car that truly was its match. But there have been a few hiccups along the way.

Skoda Fabia & Skoda Rooomster – the GreenLine II Eco versions

The Skoda Fabia & Roomster GreenLine II Skoda trollied out refreshed versions of the Skoda Fabia And Skoda Roomster at the Geneva Motor Show a few months back. Nothing to get hugely excited about, although in addition to the new nose there were also a new set of engines. Having got the meat out of the way Skoda are now turning to the veg, with the announcement of the Skoda Rooomster GreenLine II and the Skoda Fabia Combi GreenLine II (snappy little names)to carry Skoda’s green credentials for the range.