Japanese Car News

[RWD]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

Pardon the language and out burst...

Such sad sad news....so the "unthinkable" rumor came true. Toyota has abolished the Mark X. One of the very few fun cars to drive from Toyota and its gone ! What do they do instead ??? They hope that the Camry will take its place in the JDM market ? Really ? That piece of FWD understeering $h!t of a barge ??? They could have done something so beautiful with the TC engine out of the Crown (which was the other rumor...that the next gen mark X would go TC).

 

Never selling my Mark X <3

 

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20170511-00010005-autoconen-bus_all

 

 

well this was on the cards for a long time. i believe the mark x has sold less and less units in japan since its introduction and overlaps with a lot of their other cars- Crown, Lexus IS and GS. They were talking about killing it off many years ago.

Personally I liked the 1st generation model the best- the newer versions looked like they were trying too hard. They were also de-tuning the engines so the throttle response was softer.  I had a 1st generation Mark x S package which I had to part with a few years ago. That car still looks great and apart from a slightly vague steering feel and spongy brakes it was very much a decent drivers car.  

 

[iRage]

6 hours ago, RWD said:

well this was on the cards for a long time. i believe the mark x has sold less and less units in japan since its introduction and overlaps with a lot of their other cars- Crown, Lexus IS and GS. They were talking about killing it off many years ago.

Personally I liked the 1st generation model the best- the newer versions looked like they were trying too hard. They were also de-tuning the engines so the throttle response was softer.  I had a 1st generation Mark x S package which I had to part with a few years ago. That car still looks great and apart from a slightly vague steering feel and spongy brakes it was very much a decent drivers car.  

 

Well...they didn't change the model since 2009...there were rumors of it being killed off but then Toyota themselves showed some renderings of a replacement for the Mark X. The thing is, it really doesn't entirely step on the models you mentioned. The Crown, GS and IS all cater to an upper market segment; and except for the IS fall in to a different tax segment as well. The Crown Athlete which is the next step up for a sporty FR sedan under the Toyota badge is a bit pudgy to drive compared to the Mark X and is significantly more expensive. 

If at all the mark X's down fall was the Camry. The Mark X was doing quite well until the Hybrid Camry came along. With the government tax incentives the Camry was dirt cheap to buy and run. This was the time when Toyota hinted of a Hybrid Mark X and when the Turbo charged Crown came along they reaffirmed that the Turbo charged engine will be making it to Toyota's other FR sedans (I guess that shouldn't have been taken literally). So with the departure of the Mark X there really is a bit of a vacuum in the segment in terms of a sporty FR car. Off the top of my head all the other cars in the same segment are FF. The FR cars are significantly more expensive than what the Mark X is.

[RWD]

13 hours ago, iRage said:

Well...they didn't change the model since 2009...there were rumors of it being killed off but then Toyota themselves showed some renderings of a replacement for the Mark X. The thing is, it really doesn't entirely step on the models you mentioned. The Crown, GS and IS all cater to an upper market segment; and except for the IS fall in to a different tax segment as well. The Crown Athlete which is the next step up for a sporty FR sedan under the Toyota badge is a bit pudgy to drive compared to the Mark X and is significantly more expensive. 

If at all the mark X's down fall was the Camry. The Mark X was doing quite well until the Hybrid Camry came along. With the government tax incentives the Camry was dirt cheap to buy and run. This was the time when Toyota hinted of a Hybrid Mark X and when the Turbo charged Crown came along they reaffirmed that the Turbo charged engine will be making it to Toyota's other FR sedans (I guess that shouldn't have been taken literally). So with the departure of the Mark X there really is a bit of a vacuum in the segment in terms of a sporty FR car. Off the top of my head all the other cars in the same segment are FF. The FR cars are significantly more expensive than what the Mark X is.

Interesting. I never thaught Camry would be in the same consideration set as Mark X. Especially the Hybrid model.

When the new Lexus IS200t was launched I was thinking that would have been an interesting engine to drop into the Mark X to replace the ageing 2GR-FSE. I would have fancied getting one down in the future. Now I'll just have to save up for the rest of my life to afford an IS :-)

  

[iRage]

A sneak peek of the new Nissan Leaf

 

[kmeeg]

11 hours ago, iRage said:

A sneak peek of the new Nissan Leaf

 

Looks close to Golf R headlights - http://www.wfyi.org/files/wfyi/articles/original/golf-r-3463.jpg

 

[priyanka]

no idea about the validity of this news, but it makes sense

 

http://www.caradvice.com.au/554410/2018-toyota-landcruiser-prado-facelift-leaked/

[iRage]

12 hours ago, priyanka said:

no idea about the validity of this news, but it makes sense

 

http://www.caradvice.com.au/554410/2018-toyota-landcruiser-prado-facelift-leaked/

Might be true...saw a few Japanese publications talking about it too. In Japan they will be taking orders for the revised version starting August. I hope a new one would come out...this has been around for about 8 years now. TNGA seems to be delaying releases of new models.

[iRage]

The Harrier gets the 2.0L Turbo ! Finally !

The same engine in the Lexus NX was pretty nice so hopefully it will make the Harrier a bit more interesting with its 225+ HP. Apparently Toyota has also made a few suspension tweeks. Unfortunately the 4WD Turbo Harrier costs quite high (this is where the RAV4 is missed I suppose) and is a bit more expensive than the 2WD Lexus NX with the same engine.

Apart from the engine the usual Toyota upgrades seem to have gotten in to it like Safety Sense, etc...

 

 

[The Stig]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

The Harrier gets the 2.0L Turbo ! Finally !

The same engine in the Lexus NX was pretty nice so hopefully it will make the Harrier a bit more interesting with its 225+ HP. Apparently Toyota has also made a few suspension tweeks. Unfortunately the 4WD Turbo Harrier costs quite high (this is where the RAV4 is missed I suppose) and is a bit more expensive than the 2WD Lexus NX with the same engine.

Apart from the engine the usual Toyota upgrades seem to have gotten in to it like Safety Sense, etc...

 

 

Not directly related but related to turbos, I wonder how the government will adjust the tax for turbo engines. With a lot of manufacturers looking at low volume turnbo engines the cc based tax structure is definitely failing. 

[Magnum]

19 minutes ago, The Stig said:

Not directly related but related to turbos, I wonder how the government will adjust the tax for turbo engines. With a lot of manufacturers looking at low volume turnbo engines the cc based tax structure is definitely failing. 

I was wondering about this too, nowadays you get plenty of gasoline cars under 1.8L with a turbo. To be honest you need another factor in addition to engine capacity to calculate tax in Sri Lanka.

Japan uses the following system: 

Car Acquisition Tax

Prefectural car acquisition tax is charged on the purchase of both new and second-hand vehicles. The tax is paid when the car is registered and is calculated according to the car inspection certificate (shaken sho).

The amount of tax paid depends on the type of car but usually it is a percentage of the car's price: five percent for a private car and three percent for commercial and light vehicles. Revenue from this tax is used by local governments for road maintenance. There is no vehicle acquisition tax for small motorcycles or cars costing under Yen 500,000.

Note: Exemption measures for vehicle acquisition tax have been put in place for replacement vehicles bought after the Japanese earthquake disaster of 2011.

• For further information: Click here (PDF)

Car Weight Tax

This tax is charged according to the car's weight and must be paid when it is registered for the first time and at each mandatory car inspection (shaken). Part of this tax is used for national finances and part is used for road maintenance.
The amount of tax paid depends on both the year of the car's inspection and its weight. The weight of the car is noted in the vehicle inspection certificate.

Vehicle Tax

Vehicle tax is charged to owners of cars with an engine size of 661cc or more by each prefecture every year in April and is used for road maintenance. Where a car was bought in the middle of the year, tax is charged on a monthly basis. The amount of tax paid depends on the type of car, its use and the size of its engine. There is a reduction or exemption for disabled car owners.
The bill is sent by post and payment can be made by bank transfer, at convenience stores or via Internet.

Light vehicle tax

Smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles with an engine size of 660cc or less (kei cars) are subject to light vehicle tax at a significantly reduced rate. This tax also applies to motorcycles. Light vehicle tax is levied on 1 April each year.

[Quiet]

15 minutes ago, Magnum said:

I was wondering about this too, nowadays you get plenty of gasoline cars under 1.8L with a turbo. To be honest you need another factor in addition to engine capacity to calculate tax in Sri Lanka.

Japan uses the following system: 

Car Acquisition Tax

Prefectural car acquisition tax is charged on the purchase of both new and second-hand vehicles. The tax is paid when the car is registered and is calculated according to the car inspection certificate (shaken sho).

The amount of tax paid depends on the type of car but usually it is a percentage of the car's price: five percent for a private car and three percent for commercial and light vehicles. Revenue from this tax is used by local governments for road maintenance. There is no vehicle acquisition tax for small motorcycles or cars costing under Yen 500,000.

Note: Exemption measures for vehicle acquisition tax have been put in place for replacement vehicles bought after the Japanese earthquake disaster of 2011.

• For further information: Click here (PDF)

Car Weight Tax

This tax is charged according to the car's weight and must be paid when it is registered for the first time and at each mandatory car inspection (shaken). Part of this tax is used for national finances and part is used for road maintenance.
The amount of tax paid depends on both the year of the car's inspection and its weight. The weight of the car is noted in the vehicle inspection certificate.

Vehicle Tax

Vehicle tax is charged to owners of cars with an engine size of 661cc or more by each prefecture every year in April and is used for road maintenance. Where a car was bought in the middle of the year, tax is charged on a monthly basis. The amount of tax paid depends on the type of car, its use and the size of its engine. There is a reduction or exemption for disabled car owners.
The bill is sent by post and payment can be made by bank transfer, at convenience stores or via Internet.

Light vehicle tax

Smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles with an engine size of 660cc or less (kei cars) are subject to light vehicle tax at a significantly reduced rate. This tax also applies to motorcycles. Light vehicle tax is levied on 1 April each year.

Apoi now when our Finance Ministry buggers and Tax buggers read this they will have more taxes on the vehicles 

[iRage]

On 6/9/2017 at 11:54 AM, Magnum said:

I was wondering about this too, nowadays you get plenty of gasoline cars under 1.8L with a turbo. To be honest you need another factor in addition to engine capacity to calculate tax in Sri Lanka.

Japan uses the following system: 

Car Acquisition Tax

Prefectural car acquisition tax is charged on the purchase of both new and second-hand vehicles. The tax is paid when the car is registered and is calculated according to the car inspection certificate (shaken sho).

The amount of tax paid depends on the type of car but usually it is a percentage of the car's price: five percent for a private car and three percent for commercial and light vehicles. Revenue from this tax is used by local governments for road maintenance. There is no vehicle acquisition tax for small motorcycles or cars costing under Yen 500,000.

Note: Exemption measures for vehicle acquisition tax have been put in place for replacement vehicles bought after the Japanese earthquake disaster of 2011.

• For further information: Click here (PDF)

Car Weight Tax

This tax is charged according to the car's weight and must be paid when it is registered for the first time and at each mandatory car inspection (shaken). Part of this tax is used for national finances and part is used for road maintenance.
The amount of tax paid depends on both the year of the car's inspection and its weight. The weight of the car is noted in the vehicle inspection certificate.

Vehicle Tax

Vehicle tax is charged to owners of cars with an engine size of 661cc or more by each prefecture every year in April and is used for road maintenance. Where a car was bought in the middle of the year, tax is charged on a monthly basis. The amount of tax paid depends on the type of car, its use and the size of its engine. There is a reduction or exemption for disabled car owners.
The bill is sent by post and payment can be made by bank transfer, at convenience stores or via Internet.

Light vehicle tax

Smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles with an engine size of 660cc or less (kei cars) are subject to light vehicle tax at a significantly reduced rate. This tax also applies to motorcycles. Light vehicle tax is levied on 1 April each year.

Okay..what you are doing here is comparing apples with bananas.

What you have given above are the usage taxes for a car (payable annually or every 2-3 years), which is similar to our revenue license.

What is being questioned is our IMPORT duties for cars as charged by customs and other excise taxes, etc....when you bring in a car to the country.

In Japan there are different import duties as well for cars. After the 80s auto splat with the Americans the import duties charged by customs on motor vehicles is 0%. However you still have to pay a few other taxes (4-5% ? something of the sort) plus car acquisition tax (going from 5 to 8 to soon 10%). You really can't compare the Japanese import tax system and base our's on it. They have their system setup with the focus of trying to sell most of their cars in other countries. I guess we could look in to some place like Singapore (which wold be ironic as in the early 80s they based their system on ours) or even Australia and UK. 

Edited June 10, 2017 by iRage

[iRage]

Nissan gives the X-Trail a minor change...

A Mode Premier and Xstreamer packages continue to get the AUTECH goodies.

Pro Pilot is introduced to the Xtrail with the rest of the driver aide tech (for now only the 20X grades will be getting them as options and then will trickle down to the rest). Whilst the Pro Pilot seems to be making the Serena sell like hot cakes with the general public, Japanese automobile reviewers don't seem to like Pro Pilot as it has some kinks that can lead to some safety conserns that need to be worked out (spacing and acceleration timings, etc...). So perhaps there is a revised Pro Pilot ?

Apart from the above the other changes seem to be cosmetic; with a updated grill and the 20X grades getting a new rear seat split configuration.

[asrock]

That front looks a little like the Vezel.

[iRage]

Next generation Accord to come in a choice of 2.0L and 1.5L Turbo charged engines with a CVT or 6 MT, or with Honda's new and improved Hybrid system...

Sounds promising....hope they bring back some of the sporty flare of the old time Accords.

https://carview.yahoo.co.jp/news/newmodel/20170612-10266829-carview/?mode=full

[Schiffer]

Aqua Crossover

 

[Schiffer]

 

[Schiffer]

 

 

[zeem35]

14 minutes ago, Schiffer said:

 

 

Toyota is full of boring facelifts this year 

Aqua to Allion to Landcruisers except C-HR

[The Stig]

2 hours ago, zeem35 said:

Toyota is full of boring facelifts this year 

Aqua to Allion to Landcruisers except C-HR

Whats interesting is that they say "Fun to drive again"

[iRage]

2 hours ago, The Stig said:

Whats interesting is that they say "Fun to drive again"

To be honest....most of them are pretty fun to drive again...

The C-HR is a fun little crossover to drive. Especially the 1.2L Turbo variant. The Athlete with the 2.0L turbo is nice as well. You would expect it to feel like a barge but it doesn't and has a nice linear power delivery. I also liked the new Corolla (Altis) with a 1.8 and 2.0L engine. 

Even the Aqua has a nice nimble frame. It is let down by the overly light steering (and a slight delay); but the light steering has been a "Toyota" thing since like  forever. Even the much loved models from the past have had this characteristic in stock form  

The main reason why most of these models are going through facelifts upon facelifts without a full model change is because Toyota's adoption/roll-out of  its TNGA platform (Toyota's equivelant to Mazda's SkyActiv platform/framework) requires complete redesign of the models which is taking a considerable amount of time (not surprising when you have 20+ models to redo).

Edited June 25, 2017 by iRage

[iRage]

Lexus showcased the production version of the JDM LS sedan.

I am not feeling the alien faced grill, but totally love the sleek long body; and the dial like stalk on TOP of the speed cluster housing..pure genius ! It was just wasted dead space anyway  ....oh..and it comes with a 3.5L V6 Twin Turbo pushing 415hp (LS500) or the usual Hybrid thingy (LS500h)

[Magnum]

New Esquire

 

[Magnum]

New Voxy

[Magnum]

New Noah