Nissan Juke Nismo unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon

The Nissan Juke is a polarizing proposition -- detractors claim it’s the worst thing since the Pontiac Aztek, even as its fans embrace its quirky styling. If you’re in the former camp, you’re probably not going to like the 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo. Just unveiled at the 2013 Toyko Auto Salon, the crossover’s baroque curves are clad in a substantial body kit that includes a reshaped front bumper, redesigned spoiler, LED fog lights and new side skirts.

Mark Vaughn: We’ll always have Vegas

There were a few bare spots on the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show this year, spots that in previous years had been jammed sardine-like with myriad Taiwanese makers of Hello Kitty knockoff cell phone cozies and electronic barking dogs, but the show this year was nonetheless pretty well attended. Besides, for those working their way upstream through the aisles like so many digitally trained trout, the empty spots left by exhibitors that pulled out were like refreshing mountain meadows or little piazzas in crowded Italian cities. Show management stocked the open spots with cushy couches, too, on which many a jet-lagged showgoer snoozed.

Toyota to showcase Yaris Hybrid-R concept at Frankfurt auto show

Toyota is going high performance for the Frankfurt motor show. The company is bringing a smoking-hot version of its Yaris compact called the Yaris Hybrid-R. Toyota says it combines the technology of its hybrids and the engineering of its racing prototype, the TS030.