If this year’s Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo showed us anything, it’s that the Japanese automotive industry still has plenty of fight left in it.
Everyone is talking about the indefatigable rise of the Chinese car industry, which is putting brands from Japan, Korea, Europe, the US and others on notice.
However, Japan still has some of the world’s most popular car brands, and its manufacturers don’t appear to be resting on their laurels.
Just look at juggernaut Toyota, for example, which is rolling out a new halo brand to help inspire its compatriots. It also has a chunky new compact off-roader, the LandCruiser FJ, that looks to the past, and showed off an aggressively styled Corolla concept that looks to the future.
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.
Nissan didn’t have much to crow about apart from a new generation of its popular domestic-market Elgrand, while Suzuki was arguably overshadowed by fellow small-car specialist Daihatsu.
Mazda revealed yet another concept with a rotary engine (will they build this one?) and appeared to preview a new entry-level vehicle, while Mitsubishi had a handsome quad-motor plug-in hybrid SUV concept on hand and Subaru had a duo of hot STI concepts to show off.
Honda had a couple of new EVs, one of which is coming to Australia, while Lexus shared more on its upcoming twin-turbo V8-powered supercar while previewing a couple of possible directions for its next-generation LS which looks set to ditch the sedan shape that has long defined it.
So, a busy show! But which vehicles were our favourites?
Alborz Fallah: Century Concept
I have said it for years, but if Toyota Australia ever decides to bring its super-luxury, reliable Rolls-Royce-like Century SUV to Australia, I will be the first one to place an order.
The Century coupe concept revealed this year looks absolutely terrific – the perfect blend of style, super luxury and road presence.
The fact that it lacks a Rolls-Royce or Bentley badge is a bonus only when it’s something with rich if niche heritage, which is exactly how I have always seen Century.
Please Toyota Australia. People love high-end, low-volume vehicles here, and this thing will be solid and bulletproof, and will probably cost $300k, but there’s a market for it and I just want one.
MORE: Toyota shows Rolls-Royce-rivalling Century Concept, the ‘Pride of Japan’
Marton Pettendy: Mazda Vision-X Coupe concept
It might not be quite as sexy as the Iconic SP coupe concept, which employed a twin-rotor range-extender EV powertrain, but the Vision X-Coupe is almost as sleek and has the added practicality of four doors – and the allure of a rotary engine that actually powers its wheels.
If a plug-in hybrid system is the only application in which Mazda can resurrect its hallowed rotary engine in an emissions-focused future, a 375kW all-wheel drive sports sedan with rotary power and a 160km electric-only range will be just fine by me.
MORE: Mazda keeps the rotary alive: Twin-rotor hybrid concept signals future sports revival
James Wong: Honda Super-One and Century’s global expansion
I’ll start with the disclosure that I attended 2025 Japan Mobility Show with Honda, but I’m super excited by the new Super-One and what its Australian market confirmation represents for the brand.
As someone who has grown up with Hondas and Subarus, Japanese brands that were once mentioned in the same sentence as premium marques like BMW for their driver enjoyment and engineering development, the Super-One feels like a signal that Honda is returning to the company that we all fell in love with.
The Super-One is a risk, a statement that Honda is once again willing to experiment and try new things. In Australia, more and more brands are leaving the compact segments behind because it’s ‘too hard’ or ‘not profitable enough’, so it’s good to see that in lieu of a new Jazz (RIP), Honda is willing to re-enter that smaller part of the market with something different and exciting. That’s a real embodiment of what the company stands for.
For similar reasons I’ve picked Century as my second winner from the show – not just the concept, but the ultra-luxury arm of Toyota, which announced it will become a fully fledged brand and branch outside of Japan and the few other markets in which it currently competes.
Like Honda, Toyota is often associated with being ‘safe’ and not all that exciting. But there are plenty of models that Toyota doesn’t sell in Australia – namely the Century and Crown lineups, and I’m still not giving up on the latter – which really do spark the interest of enthusiasts like myself and no doubt other demographics the brand may not currently appeal to.
With all the talk of premium and luxury Chinese products coming in to take on the Europeans, it’s time that the Japanese got back into that conversation.
Lexus has done a fine job on its own, but Century takes it to a whole new level, and the degree of opulence the Century and Century SUV offer would even make a Genesis feel almost pedestrian.
Welcome back Japan, we’ve missed you.
MORE: 2026 Honda Super-One: Kei-class EV confirmed for Australia
Damion Smy: Century Concept
JMS was somewhat of a renaissance for the Japanese industry as China flexes its manufacturing muscle.
Yet the ultimate flex? The Century. Not because of how it looks, but more what it represents: a love letter to Akio Toyoda’s forefathers, a call to invigorate the Japanese car industry – and by doing that, a call to inspire the whole country.
Classic Toyota, pulling out a hero when its back is against the wall, but what a way to wake up a nation!
MORE: Toyota shows Rolls-Royce-rivalling Century Concept, the ‘Pride of Japan’
Sean Lander: Toyota HiAce concepts
When people think of a HiAce, most think of the plumber coming to fix your pipes, but Toyota has shown how much more it can be.
The concept medical van and trade-spec units on display at the show demonstrate how versatile vans really are, and with some pretty simple technology they’re elevated far beyond a mere delivery or trade vehicle.
The mobile medical centre, complete with disabled access chairs and massive screens that can be used to help educate patients or other drivers, would be a game-changer in a country like Australia, where vast distances can limit people from getting the help or medicine they need.
An honourable mention has the go to the Joby/Toyota flying uber. An actual aircraft that will function, be reasonably quiet, and have the backup redundancies that helicopters don’t? Sign me up for one of those.
Ben Zachariah: Mazda Vision-X Coupe concept
While there were plenty of concepts and production-ready reveals to get excited about from this year’s Japan Mobility Show, it was – perhaps predictably – the Mazda Vision X-Coupe that struck a chord with my heartstrings.
But Mazda has done this before – twice, in fact – showing off sleek concepts over the past decade with the promise of rotary powertrains, neither of which has come to fruition. Making me look a little more stupid (or gullible) each time I write a news story about the ‘RX-9’.
But I continue to hold out hope. Because car companies need heroes – aspirational models that show off the extremes of engineering and design.
As a teenager, I lusted after the BMW E39 M5, and ended up getting an E34 535i. My mate loved Nissan Skylines and Silvias, and his first car was an N12 Pulsar ET Turbo. If you want to sell Mazda 2 and 3 models, and hook buyers to your brand, you need to give them a reason.
I do hope Mazda overcomes whatever is stopping it from greenlighting the RX-9. And when that happens, I hope it’s as close to the Vision X-Coupe concept as possible, because that thing is properly cool.
MORE: Mazda plug-in hybrid rotary, city car concepts unveiled
Josh Nevett: Toyota Corolla Concept
A whole seven years on from launch, the current-generation Corolla is still one of the best-looking small cars on the market, yet somehow Toyota has levelled up again with its new Corolla Concept.
Put simply, this thing just feels like the future, inside and out. I love the edgy exterior and sharp lighting signatures, while the interior is as functional as it is futuristic.
Toyota says the Corolla Concept caters for a wide array of powertrains too, so it’s a clever concept rather than an abstract art piece. Once upon a time you’d never include the words Corolla and sexy in the same sentence, but that’s no longer the case.
MORE: Wild Toyota Corolla Concept revealed with electric and hybrid power
Max Davies: Subaru Performance-B STI Concept
I’m sure this is a popular sentiment among fans, but I can’t help but feel Subaru hasn’t been the same since it stopped selling real STI models in 2022.
Sure, the BRZ is great, and I’ve come to appreciate the current WRX, but there’s still been something missing. So, as an owner of a last-gen WRX STI, it’s impossible not to get excited about a new internal combustion STI concept, even if ‘concept’ is the operative word here.
The Impreza-based car’s aggressive (and vaguely goofy) styling and huge rear wing are hallmarks of a hot Subaru, and we know it comes with an STI six-speed manual, STI’s characteristic driver-controlled centre differential (DCCD), and all-wheel drive. Plus, its stout, wide-body stance is insanely cool.
What makes it even more interesting is that it looks almost production-ready. If Subaru gives its styling a slight massage and carries through with all the mechanical treats, there’s no reason it shouldn’t satisfy the ever-critical fanatics as a real return to form.
All we can do is wait and hope. In the meantime, I’ll happily look at that stunning Lexus Sport Concept a little while longer.
MORE: Subaru Impreza STI and electric liftback concepts unveiled in Tokyo
William Stopford: Mazda Vision X-Compact concept
There were some surprises out of Tokyo, a mixture of pleasant and unpleasant.
The Super-One wasn’t the first EV I expected Honda to sell here, but it’s a cute little thing that internet commenters often call for. Let’s see if this translates to actual sales here. In Japan it’ll also have to contend with BYD’s new Racco, which is a ballsy move by the Chinese giant to move in on a huge sales segment for Japanese brands in their home market.
The unpleasant surprises included the absolutely ghastly Lexus LS van concept, which exists either to debase the iconic LS nameplate or make the other LS concept, a ‘coupe’ SUV, a comparatively more palatable proposition. Also, it’s great to see a baby Toyota LandCruiser at last, but why did they only engineer it with a dated engine that won’t meet Australian emissions standards?
I have some concerns about Toyota’s plans to tackle Bentley and Rolls-Royce outside of Japan with Century, a nameplate that may be iconic but is little known outside its home market. But the coupe concept revealed at the Tokyo show is an absolute stunner.
It’s not my favourite concept of the show, though. That has to be the Mazda Vision X-Compact, a cute little hatchback concept that appears to preview – at long last – a new generation of one of my favourite small cars, the Mazda 2.
Oh sure, the Vision X-Coupe concept is cool, but how many rotary or coupe concepts have we seen from Mazda over the years? If the Vision X-Compact previews a long-awaited replacement for the Mazda 2, then I’m definitely paying attention to you, Mazda.
MORE: Mazda plug-in hybrid rotary, city car concepts unveiled