Honda Officially Announces Fit / Jazz Shuttle, Sales Start in Japan this March

Less than a month ago, we broke the story on the leaked brochure of the Honda Fit Shuttle. Today, the Japanese automaker came out with an official announcement revealing a cropped image of the car and stating that the larger and more practical version of the Fit (otherwise known as the Jazz) will go on sale in Japan this March.

The new Fit Shuttle will be available in Japan with a similar engine lineup to the hatchback version including a conventional 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a hybrid variant featuring a 1.3 liter gasoline unit and a 10 KW electric motor.

Honda did not say whether the Fit Shuttle will be offered exclusively in Japan or if it will make its way to other markets as well. Follow the break for more pictures.

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Honda to Build More CR-Vs in the U.S., Plans to Increase the use of Parts from Low-Cost Countries

The strong yen is affecting all Japanese automakers that are exporting their locally produced cars to America. Honda is one of them, as of the 72,000 CR-Vs built last year in Japan, 35,000 made their way to North America. Japan’s third largest automaker wants to invest in its North American plants to increase the number of CR-V it builds here and reduce exports from Japan, thus minimizing losses due to exchange rates.

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A Nissan Silva Coupe with a Schizophrenic Personality

In October of 2010 we brought you a Toyota Soarer / Lexus SC that had been transformed into an abomination with a Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM front end and a Nissan 200SX rump. It was bad, but I still liked it better than the snooze-mobile that was the ‘91 Soarer / CS.

Well, from the same website that brought us that automotive mullet comes yet another creation that’s been refashioned into something else. This time its a Nissan Silva. This particular freak of coach building features a Mercedes-Benz rear end (or at very least the taillights) and Nissan 350Z front end. The result is less than impressive.

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Australia: Now you see the New Mazda2 Sedan, now you Don't

The Mazda2 four-door small sedan has been dropped from the firm's lineup in Australia, just eight months after launch. The reason is Mazda's decision to switch production of the Australian market version of the small car from its Thailand factory, which manufactures both sedan and hatchback body styles, to the company's Hiroshima plant in Japan, which builds only the hatchback version.

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Nissan to Sell Rebadged Mazda5 MPV in Japan

Nissan and Mazda said Friday that they are expanding their original equipment manufacturing (OEM) projects to include the Mazda Premacy, otherwise known as the Mazda5 MPV in markets such as North America and Europe. Under the agreement, Mazda will supply a "clearly differentiated version" of the Premacy to Nissan for sale in Japan, starting from May this year, the two companies said in a joint statement.

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The Exotic Ladies of the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon

We know you've been patiently waiting for our special photo coverage from this year's edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon, and now, the moment is here. We've put together a large gallery with more than 130 high-resolution pictures for your viewing pleasure (although hopefully, not too much pleasure...). So, head over the jump and enjoy the booth professionals that stood out at Japan's largest tuning event. Those of you that prefer the automotive delights of the show can check out out dedicated gallery here.

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Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 Mega Photo Gallery [Part 2]

Yes, what you are looking at in our opening picture is a previous generation Subaru Legacy with some very Audi R8-like touches. And that's just a sample of what lies ahead in the second part of our photo tour of the Tokyo Auto Salon 2011. All you have to do is simply follow the jump, sit back, click, and enjoy the view. In case you missed it, you can also check out the first part that includes more than 240 high-resolution images of all sorts of customized Japanese models as well as tuned European and American cars, by following this link.

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Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 Mega Photo Gallery [Part 1]

The Tokyo Auto Salon is Japan's equivalent of North America's largest tuning event, the SEMA show, and like its Las Vegas counterpart, the Tokyo event attract myriads of independent tuners as well as major automakers. In fact there are so many new production and conceptual proposals that it's virtually impossible to report on each and every custom creation separately - at least not in a timely manner.

Now, what we can do is offer you a visual tour of this year's event through our two-part gallery, each comprising of some 240 high-resolution photos, which will be followed later on tonight by a separate post with the beautiful and for some of us, exotic, booth professionals of the show. For now, feast your eyes on the first part of our custom car gallery after the break.

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Japanese Students craft a Dodge Ram Truck out of a Mazda MPV

We received some e-mails asking us if the green-colored Ram truck hiding behind the Chrysler-ized Prius 300C we showed you earlier today was a tricked out Dodge, or if, like many other project cars shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon, this too was a replica. The answer is it's a Ram Truck clone based on the Mazda Bongo Friendee, which is a Japanese domestic market MPV with seating for eight, offered between 1995 and 2005. Like the Prius 300C, the Ram Truck Friendee was built by a team of students from the Saitama Institute of Automotive Technology.

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No Really, this is a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider and it's Powered by a Subaru Turbo Boxer!

Don't let the Nissan 350Z snout and the Infiniti G35 Coupe (JDM Nissan Skyline V35) rear end design fool you; the glitzy painted roadster model you're gawking at is in fact a JDM Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider - possibly a third generation model. But before you try to digest all that info let us quickly add that Paint Star's Tokyo Auto Salon project car also hides a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine under its 350Z-shaped hood. See the rest of the photos in our image gallery after the break.

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Nissan 350Z Poses as a Porsche Panamera Convertible...

[Updated gallery] The Tokyo Auto Salon is always a blast featuring all sorts of unique tuning proposals, like this here Porsche wannabe. When our Tokyo show man Phil e-mailed the above photo, we assumed it pictured a Porsche -possibly a Boxster- modified to resemble a Panamera Convertible. We were quickly proven wrong, however, when he sent over an image of the interior and some video footage revealing that the Porsche Panamera tune was actually a...masqueraded Nissan 350Z Roadster. More photos after the jump.

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DragStar F1 Dragon is a Lesson in what not to do to a Toyota MR-2

Unless you take a peek at the interior, there's no way you'll be able to recognize the Toyota MR-2 hiding under the exaggerated Ferrari Testarossa-style strakes of this Japanese creation (or is that abomination?). Crafted by Value Progress, the Dragstar F1 Dragon is built on a third generation Toyota MR-2 and despite the extra-long nose, it keeps the donor car's mid-engine layout intact.

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Silk Blaze Creates 271HP Honda CR-Z with HKS Turbocharger

One of the most striking Honda CR-Z proposals at this year's edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon came from Japanese tuning firm Silk Blaze. The heavily modded concept model boasts a full body kit with a new front bumper and grille assembly, side skirts, a rear wing and a new rear bumper with additional air vents on top, plus a diffuser and three-exhaust pipe openings in the center. The tuned CR-Z rides on deep-dish 19-inch alloys wrapped in chunky 225/30 rubber.

Even more impressive is the beast that lurks under the hood as the tuner said the CR-Z concept model features a HKS supercharged version of the 1.5-liter four-banger delivering 271-horses (202.4 kW). No other details were given about the powertrain upgrades in the firm's spec sheet. You can gaze upon the rest of the pictures after the break.

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Mazda to Lease All-Electric Mazda2 in Japan

Mazda today announced that it's developing an electric vehicle based on the Demio subcompact – known as the Mazda2 in Europe and North America –, which will be available for lease in Japan starting from spring 2012.

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Artis Audi A6 with Diamond-Shape 3D Paint Job

This here shiny black Audi A6 is the work of Japanese paint specialist Artis. The German executive sedan features a special finish with diamond shape grooves that was achieved by applying a patterned film all over the car and then painting on top of it. The Japanese firm also added a custom bodykit along with 20-inch alloy wheels shod in 225/30 rubber, and upgraded the suspension and 3.2-liter V6 engine. See the rest of the pictures in our image gallery below.

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Toyota Prius blossoms into...Chrysler 300 with Custom Makeover

From our 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon "Strange But True" files comes this custom creation of what appears to be a second generation (judging by the interior door panels) Toyota Prius hybrid wearing a...Chrysler 300 front end. The show car also features sliding rear doors, lowered suspension, larger five-spoke alloy wheels, Chrysler 300-style tail lights and a high-end audio-visual system that replaces the rear seats. More pictures after the break.

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Tokyo Auto Salon Update: Photo Problem Solved

If you've been following our news section, you'll know that Phil flew out to Japan the previous weekend to cover the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon. While our live coverage of the event went according to plan, unfortunately, we encountered a persistent technical problem that didn't allow us to post our photographic material on our blog, but we finally found a solution. As the saying goes, better late than never. Hope you enjoy our upcoming posts from the show.

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VeilSide 4509 GTR is a Toyota Supra IV with an Identity Crisis

Japanese tuners sure love breaking the mold and shocking people with their creations. Revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the 4509 GTR is the product of VeilSide, a Japan-based tuning firm established in 1990 by Yokomaku Hironao. It is based on a fourth generation Toyota Supra Turbo from 1993 and has received a complete makeover with the exterior design borrowing styling elements from the Bentley Continental with a hint of an Audi R8 here and there.

The body parts are made out of carbon fiber and fiberglass, while the look is completed by the new black wheels sized 20-inches up front and 22-inches at the back. The alloys are wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza rubber, 255/30R20 at the front and 295/25R22 at the rear.

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Suzuki Debuts Brand New MR Wagon in Japan

Suzuki has announced the arrival of its new home market MR Wagon kei car, which has been fully redesigned for the first time in five years featuring a fresh styling and a brand new 660cc three-cylinder petrol engine matched to a continuously variable transmission.

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Carscoop Reports Live from the Tokyo Auto Salon 2011 [Day 3]

Ok, we're here live at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan getting as many photos as possible (and maybe some videos too). Bookmark this page and keep checking back for the updates as they come rolling in through the hand-held God machine that Steve Jobs created.

We'll be getting some high-quality photos as well, but they'll be coming through a bit later as I'm currently a one-man band, out in the realm of sushi, Gundam, VIP rides, and love hotels.

Remember to take into account that I'll be 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, but it should be an adventure full of cars, chicks in short shorts, perverts with professional-grade photo/video equipment, and maybe even some drifting on Day 2. Stay tuned, it's gonna get busty...I mean busy. Follow the break for our live coverage.

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