Tokyo Auto Salon pits performance autos against hybrids

The world's other big January auto show, the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, opened its doors to tuner enthusiasts in mid-month with a record 402 exhibitors.

The Auto Salon fuses numerous styles, but the overriding theme this year was hybrid cars, with customized Toyota Priuses and Honda Insights at every turn.

Good old-fashioned engine tuning is alive and well in Japan, where even new sports cars are being heavily modified, with cars such as the KRL Mitsubishi Evolution X and the HKS Nissan GT-R both boasting in excess of 600 hp.

Toyota dominated the show with its factory-tuned cars, spearheaded by the turbocharged G's FT-86 G Sports concept. Joining it was a carbon-clad Club Sport version of the Lexus IS-F with carbon brakes and a 400-hp sports-car hybrid concept based on the MR2, which could see production in the next two years.

1. TOYOTA GR MN IQ SUPERCHARGER CONCEPT

Toyota's sports-car craze--at least in Japan--has reached down the company's lineup to the tiny iQ city car. This GR MN concept not only injects some serious aggression into the looks of the pocket-sized Toyota, but it also boosts performance of its 1.3-liter motor thanks to a bolt-on supercharger. Brabus Smart, look out.

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2. G'S TOYOTA FT-86 G SPORTS CONCEPT

Toyota's in-house tuner G's stole the show with this turbocharged version of the FT-86 concept. This iteration of the joint Toyota-Subaru project gains a sharper front end with a large central opening to feed the intercooler efficiently. Carbon touches such as the front lip spoiler, vented hood and side mirrors are great for enticing the younger sports-car buyer, but it's the rear wing that really stands out, sporting an almost identical design to a Toyota Formula One race car's front spoiler.

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3. VALUE PROGRESS DRAGSTAR F1

The DragStar F1 might look like a wild street-going F1 racer, but underneath all that custom bodywork is a highly modified Toyota MR2 chassis. Value Progress grabbed third place in the Salon's concept-car category with this creation.

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4. BRANEW TOYOTA PRIUS

With the evident shift toward the eco-friendly hybrid, premium body-kit manufacturer Branew designed a series of parts that help give a subtle yet aggressive tone to the Prius. The kit features a sculpted front spoiler and side skirts, a substantial drop in ride height and large wheels.

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5. CUSTOM PLUS CONCEPT TOYOTA PRIUS

Want your Prius to look like a Lamborghini Revent

By Dino Dalle Carbonare