Found in Tokyo II

Mazda
Fact one "" Mazda makes the world's best roadster in the Miata. Fact two "" Mazda produces the world's only rotary-powered sportscar in the RX8. Fact three "" Ford owns Mazda and they want much more than little sports cars and Wankel coupes to make money.

The result was at the show, in the form of an all new MPV. Well, it looked like a neatly packaged Toyota Innova (read a nice van).

Mazda thinks the new MPV is a "concrete expression of Mazda's unique craftsmanship devoted to the Zoom-Zoom spirit". We think they need a new copywriter.

The Senku rotary-powered concept though looked absolutely futuristic, till you opened the sliding-wedge of a door and peeped inside. The red interior would have done Lenin proud and by the time it reaches a production line, we bet you will be able to buy a flying car.

The Crossport concept is more real and close to a production line, and once launched, can take on the likes of the Audi Q7.

A well executed SUV indeed. A hydrogen-powered RX8 and a hybrid Tribute SUV with powerpacks borrowed from Blue Oval completed the pavilion.

Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi has established the new corporate slogan "Kuruma zukuri no genten e" (no, that last "e" is not a mistake), which translates to "pursuing the origins of car engineering". Nice? Well, we liked the Concept-X better.

Don't know who copied whom, but the X, first shown at the Frankfurt show, has a lot of resemblance to the Nissan GTR.

But the comparisons should end there, since the X starts where the last of the Lancer Evolutions left off, and hints at a future rice-rocket complete with an all-aluminium four-cylinder engine that will illegally churn out 400 bhp plus.

An all-new six-speed "auto-manual" transmission with paddle shifters and Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) ensure that the Evo gene pool is left enriched.

The concept D5 minivan has four-wheel drive underpinnings which follows the Delica Star Wagon of 1982 vintage. Essentially, the D5 is supposed to give you the performance of a Pajero and the comfort of a passenger sedan "" all in a brilliant van format.

The rather imaginatively named "i" Kei-car concept is, according to Mitsubishi, named so because it represents innovation, imagination and, you guessed it, intelligence.

Hiding behind that contorted name though is the next-gen small car that will carry the three-diamond logo places. A rear mid-ship mounted engine enhances cabin space for sure, and in the process, makes this the first ever Mitsubishi with a rear-mounted engine.

Power comes from a three-cylinder turbo motor good for 64 bhp. The interior looks production ready, but the complexities of a rear-engined car might prevent it from reaching a showroom in India.

Also shown was the Outlander SUV which is a state-of-the-art crossover vehicle with extreme on-off road capabilities. The 2400cc 16-valve motor features MIVEC (variable valve timing tech) and is mated to a six-speed CVT (continuously variable transmission).

Nice. Will HM please bring it to India?

Suzuki
It's taken almost 25 years, but Suzuki finally have an answer to the Honda CBX1000 and the Kawasaki Z1300. No, we're kidding, of course. The Suzuki Stratosphere has the six-cylinder motor obviously, but the 1100cc lump makes 180 bhp, enough to entertain the whole family.

The sleek, avant-garde styling reminded more than a few show-goers of Suzuki's 80s smash hit, the Katana. Suzuki claim the real world feel is a quick revving blur that's quite different from the usual fours.

While the bike looks ready to roll of out of Suzuki showrooms, the Stratosphere is yet to get the production green light.

Nissan
If there had to be a "car of the show" award, then the Nissan GTR Proto would gladly stand up and accept it. Now, the new machine wearing the almighty GTR tag inherits the bloodline of the "Godzilla", as the last-gen GTR was known.

And it shows. It is pure automotive aggression from every angle. The gaping grille looks set to swallow BMW M3s, streaked-out and stacked headlamps will wink at the sight of Lamborghinis and the four pipes at the back are bound to emit bad words of the internal combustion kind as they leave Ferraris in its wake.

The new GTR is not a car, gentlemen, it is a phenomenon just standing still. Now imagine a "280 bhp" engine that is bound to be chipped-up to 1,000 odd horses and you have seen the next star of illegal racing scenes around the world. At the show, the GTR was hope symbolised "" a real supercar with a performance envelope large enough to send its very own fan following into a frenzy.

A real supercar in a world of me-too eco-weenies and assorted hybrid packs on wheels. Thank you, Carlos Ghosn, you rock.

Also at the Nissan pavilion was the brilliant Foria concept, Amenio "modern living concept", the new Bluebird sedan, Moco small car and the Pivo, which can crab around parking lots.

Needless to say, all those cars never got a second look, as the Godzilla II was the centre of attraction. Did we mention that the GTR was the "car of the show"?

Lexus
Our apologies to Chris Bangle. We screamed at him when he created the new 7 Series BMW, for tampering with the classical sport-sedan looks of Beemers. We apologise, because the work he started with the 7 Series has been completed by Lexus and the result, as seen in the LF-Sh concept, has taken luxury car design the way forward.

Unlike the much maligned yet brilliant Beemer, the new Lexus sedan concept (which is certain to become the new flagship soon) features "well-closed shut lines" (including the bootline), and without resorting to extensive "flame surfacing", manages to make the car stand out in a crowd.

The V8 petrol-plus-electric motor powertrain hangs around with a "super handling" four-wheel drive system. Expect S-Class Mercs to run for cover as and when Lexus produces it. Also on show was the LF-A sports coupe concept which Lexus premiered at Frankfurt a month back.

The V10 engine format might change since Formula One is going back to V8s next year.

The most significant car though is the GS450h, which can claim to be the first premium sedan with a hybrid powertrain "" especially developed for front-engine, real-wheel drive layouts.

Yamaha
Here is proof that Yamaha's engineers have moved on from Ringu, and are watching sci-fi flicks in their off hours. The Gen-RYU is an R6-electrical motor hybrid, wrapped up bodywork imported from the 23rd century and it is loaded with enough gizmos to make James Bond's Aston Martin look dull.

The bike has a human-machine interface thingy that supplies visual and audible warnings (pedestrians, vehicles, etc). There's car-style cornering lamps, a noise cancellation system, voice navigation, music player, cellphone, rear view camera, surface-to-air missiles and a microwave.

Okay, nix the last two. However, while no production prospects were revealed, the Hybrid R6 motor wouldn't be out of place today, would it?

Honda
From the rib of the utterly functional, and completely unexciting NTV650 Deauville, comes this little baby.

Honda's DN-01 Discover Cruiser concept is said to be production ready and slots in somewhere between the CBR1000RR, Shadow and Gurney Alligator. The specs say that the 680cc V-twin motor is hooked to a six-speed automatic transmission, similar to what Honda offers in its quads. The gearbox will offer smooth stepless shifting and Honda says it will suit the mature crowd the DN-01 is likely to serve.

Honda also promises "unimaginable manoeuvrability", and called the DN "fiercely original". Quite.