Among all the shiny models at the Tokyo Motor Show were a few dramatic announcements

Auto shows have always been the industry’s showcase, but the Tokyo Motor Show has always been a glimpse into its fantasies as well. The wildest concept cars, the strangest ideas. Perhaps that’s why it has managed to survive even in the digital age, which has killed off several of the great auto salons of the past. The Japanese show has changed its name to the “Tokyo Mobility Show” to sound modern, green, and sustainable, but in truth, it remains a real and vibrant car exhibition.

While exhibitions in China bombard visitors with a million new production models that are hard to remember afterward, Japan remains loyal to its tradition with a long line of concept cars. This time, hidden among them were a few dramatic announcements and a sense that an unusually high number of these models will actually reach production in the coming years. Tokyo 2025 will likely be remembered as the show that presented the shape of things to come. Unlike the European industry, which seems lost in the face of the Chinese onslaught, the Japanese are preparing to fight back.

Did you laugh when Toyota created Lexus to compete with Mercedes and BMW? Now it’s launching a new division to rival Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Forty years ago, Eiji Toyoda approved the F1 project that gave birth to Lexus. Akio Toyoda, his nephew and current chairman of the world’s largest carmaker, will leave behind the Century as his legacy.

“Century is not just another Toyota division; it will bring to the world the spirit and pride of Japan,” said Toyoda as he unveiled the Century Coupe on stage, without revealing technical details or a production timeline. Toyota already sells in Japan a luxury sedan under that name, now in its third generation, and in recent years a large crossover has joined it.

Now, Century will evolve into an independent global brand, targeting the last market segment still ruled by the British—under German ownership. It’s worth remembering that the Lexus LS first landed in the U.S. in 1989, and by 1990 it was already outselling the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series, and Jaguar XJ.

Tokyo is Toyota’s home show and the place for another dramatic announcement: The Corolla is dead and will be reborn. The world’s all-time best-selling car—over 55 million units—but in recent years, its 12th generation has lost the annual sales crown to the RAV4 in a world that has shifted to taller vehicles.

Produced since 1966, the next-generation Corolla, to be unveiled next year and go on sale in 2027, will look very different from the one your neighbor has been replacing with another Corolla for decades. In an effort to attract a younger audience and compete with Chinese sedans, the next Corolla will abandon its conservative design for a more advanced appearance, both outside and in the cabin.

Toyota is firing in all directions this time: In addition to hybrid and gasoline powertrains based on a new, more efficient 1.5-liter engine, there will also be plug-in and fully electric versions for the first time. Each market will get its preferred options. So besides the sedan, there will also be compact and station wagon versions. There’s even talk of a sporty GR variant with a 2.0-liter turbo engine and 400 horsepower.

The 13th-generation Corolla is a gamble: How will the conservative domestic market react? Can Toyota crack the challenge of offering an advanced yet user-friendly cockpit—unlike so many high-tech systems that seem determined to kill you every time you try to change the air conditioning temperature?

Another announcement came from Lexus, which has stopped producing its current flagship sedan after declining sales in favor of crossovers. But the LS, which gave birth to the brand, will return to offer a luxurious space option for top executives and leaders.

How exactly this will happen is still unclear, and there might even be more than one successor. The LS Concept is a six-wheeled van with vast interior space. In the East, it’s quite popular to convert commercial vans into low-cost limousines by fitting two reclining electric passenger seats with leg rests. This concept takes that idea further, with a unique body design.

Meanwhile, the LS Coupe is part coupe, part crossover, with four doors. Customers prefer to sit higher? They’ll get an LS suited to the times.

Subaru brought not one but two STI concept cars to Tokyo—one powered by its famous turbo boxer gasoline engine, based on the existing five-door Impreza sold overseas, and another as a kind of electric coupe version.

Thirty and twenty years ago, the WRX and STI models were Subaru’s most iconic and profitable cars, putting smiles on enthusiasts’ faces behind the wheel or after spotting one in a rally or street meet.

But today, selling such a car in Europe incurs such heavy emissions penalties that more and more manufacturers simply stick with the memories. They could go electric, but there are already countless insanely fast EVs from China—how can a sporty electric Subaru stand out from the crowd? On the other hand, it could be a great promotional tool for the electric crossovers Subaru is developing with Toyota.

Subaru is a small automaker and has suffered a serious blow this year from tariffs imposed by Trump on imported cars to the U.S. More than two-thirds of Subaru’s sales are in the American market, but most models are imported from Japan. It’s uncertain whether it currently has the resources for a new STI, even if we’d love to see one.

This year, Mazda ended production of the small and much-loved Mazda 2, which was reliable and fun to drive but small and quite outdated. In Europe, the company sells a hybrid Toyota Yaris with a Mazda badge as the new Mazda 2, suggesting it had abandoned this economically tough segment with a product of its own.

That’s why the Vision X was a surprise: A modern, rounded, practical supermini. The design is cute, and the interior is friendly, with exposed metal that appears colorful but serves as a cost-saving measure—critical in a segment where profit margins are razor-thin due to safety and emissions requirements.

So it’s surprising that Mazda is even talking about a highly efficient gasoline engine, at most a hybrid, without mentioning a full electric version. The company has already announced it will invest heavily in converting its Thai factory to produce a new small crossover, the successor to the CX-3, aimed at profitable and growing markets. Could this concept actually hint at that model?

Since production of the RX-8 ended, we’ve been waiting for Mazda’s next coupe with a rotary engine. Mazda continues to flirt with both ideas in the Vision X, which includes several interesting concepts. It’s a coupe, but with four doors—sporty, yet relatively tall and crossover-like.

The powertrain is a plug-in hybrid capable of traveling about 160 km on electricity and another 650 km on gasoline. There’s also a new filter before the exhaust to capture as much CO2 as possible before it escapes into the atmosphere—a breakthrough that could help secure the future of internal combustion engines.

Overall, it’s a collection of ideas we may see split into several models. Mazda currently uses Toyota’s plug-in hybrid system but is developing one of its own. These design cues may appear in the next Mazda 3.

Honda is the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, but in the car sector it struggles to stay competitive. Only the American market remains significant for it, while it has mostly withdrawn from Europe. After its merger talks with Nissan collapsed, survival now demands bold moves.

You can love or hate the 0 Alpha, but you can’t ignore it. A crossover with a striking design and a dominant rear pillar that defines the entire body shape—somewhat bulky, but distinctive. This is the new design language for Honda’s future crossovers under the “0” series, and the Alpha is Honda’s answer to the Kia EV3, Toyota C-HR+, and the like.

Hybrid and electric versions are expected, with an option for a fully electric steering system with no mechanical connection to the wheels.

Most car sales in Japan are of mini cars in the Kei category, whose dimensions are limited so they can be owned without a parking space. Small and cheap, they too now need to go electric.

Suzuki, whose specialty is small and affordable cars, will launch its first electric Kei car in 2027. Its range will be 270 km, and its dimensions make even a Kia Picanto look large: 3.395 meters long, 1.475 meters wide, and 1.62 meters high.

European manufacturers are now promoting a new licensing category for small cars that would be exempt from some safety and emissions regulations in exchange for a lower price. If approved, the production Vision e could leave Japan and reach other markets—including ours.

Once a major Japanese automaker, Mitsubishi now sells around one million cars a year, and in Europe most of its models are actually Renaults with its badge. One of the key moments marking its decline was the end of Pajero production without a direct successor. Toyota’s Land Cruiser took over the segment, and Mitsubishi lost a flagship model with a devoted fan base.

For several years now, Mitsubishi has hinted at a comeback with new concept vehicles. This time, it’s one with partial or full electric drive, though the company refuses to reveal details beyond promising a “large battery.” It also features various power distribution systems among the four wheels and a three-row cabin with six seats in total.

Is it real this time? Mitsubishi abandoned this segment just as SUV sales were skyrocketing. It’s not too late to rejoin the trend.