Lacking the power of the Juke-R, but the Juke Nismo might see production.

Nissan plans to expand its high performance line of vehicles, and it's targeting the crossover market to do it. The auto manufacturer unveiled the Juke Nismo Concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, announcing that the crossover could get the green light if it proves popular.

The Nissan Juke Nismo concept is a toned-down version of the Juke-R exercise the manufacturer has been promoting through a series of online videos. While the Juke-R borrows the heart and soul of the GT-R to become a compact SUV … Read more

What if changing the color of your car was as simple as tapping an app? Toyota's Fun-Vii concept promises exactly that and more.

The Fun-Vii's skin is actually a massive display that can change its color at will, and display graphics, images, and custom messages for other drivers or bystanders. Toyota gives the visual example of a business using the Fun-Vii to display advertisement livery, but I'd love to be able to quickly throw up a "Back off, chump!" to a tailgater.

The custom graphics aren't limited to the exterior. Toyota also envisions that large interior display surfaces can add augmented reality functionality to the driving experience while allowing the vehicle's interior to be "freely adjustable to match the mood of the moment."… Read more

LOS ANGELES--This may be the strangest unveiling of the LA Auto Show's history...

In celebration of the first title in the Mario Kart franchise to feature 3D graphics, Nintendo commissioned West Coast Customs to truly bring the game into the third dimension by building working examples of two of the cars from Mario Kart 7.

Mario's personal race car and Luigi's Bumble V car were constructed and can be driven under their own power. However, the hang glider and underwater propeller on Mario and Luigi's rides, respectively, are not functional. Visitors will be able to view … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Bentley looks to provide the modern customer with connected information and entertainment.

It says something about the typical Bentley customer that the company's connected car concept would focus on rear-seat passengers. With the cost of the large Mulsanne sedan being about $350,000, most buyers can leave the driving to a chauffeur.

And at this level of luxury, there is nothing wrong with sitting in the back seat. But where past Bentley customers may have been content to listen to opera over the stereo system, the modern owner will have the smartphone and tablet out, buying low and selling high.

To oblige this type of customer, Bentley created its connected concept, fitting a Mac Mini and 4G-connected router in the trunk, and iPads in the rear-seat tray tables. The various computers in this system are integrated, so the iPads can control and call up media and files from the Mac Mini.… Read more

...and then there were three.

LOS ANGELES--The Toyota FT-86 II and Scion FR-S concepts are joined today by Subaru's vision for the lightweight, rear-driven sports car platform with the unveiling of the Subaru BRZ concept STI at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. This marks our first official peek at the BRZ in the sheet metal; the previous offerings showed off the drivetrain, but not the external styling.

As a bit of a hat tip to enthusiasts who have been eagerly awaiting the BRZ, Subaru decided that the first concept should showcase what an STI variant of the sports … Read more

LOS ANGELES--Volkswagen is keeping the specifications of the Beetle R concept a secret, but the production Golf R, coming out next year, should give some clues.

Letters like GTI and GLI used to spell performance in Volkswagen terminology, but the German carmaker is introducing a new letter, R. The company now has an entire performance division tuning up existing Volkswagen models and slapping an R badge on them. The first effort hitting production is the Golf R, and now Volkswagen is showing off a concept version of a Beetle R.

Based on the 2012 Beetle, the Beetle R concept has … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Hyundai's last few appearances at the SEMA Show have been so Genesis-heavy that I had to double-check I hadn't stumbled into Sega's booth.

Although the Genesis Coupe is still a large part of Hyundai's aftermarket strategy for the 2011 SEMA Show, the automaker's focus has been shifted to its new weapon of choice: the brand-new 2012 Veloster. Hyundai's booth was home to the unveiling of five custom Veloster models, including the ARK Performance Veloster that we saw previewed not too long ago.

The ARK Veloster features a laundry list of modifications that touch … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Last year's SEMA Show may have been the year of the hybrid, but this year Honda is throwing its weight behind its original golden child, the Honda Civic.

The automaker has filled its booth here at the 2011 SEMA Show with a collection of high-performance and high-styled 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe and Sedan models.

Leading the high-performance charge is the Bisimoto Engineering 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe, which spins the dyno's rollers to the tune of 1,004 horsepower. That's no typo: one thousand and four ponies. More amazingly, Bisimoto does so with the Si'… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Only at the SEMA Show could a car as wildly styled as the Scion FR-S be the least eye-catching ride in a bunch, but that was exactly the case at Scion's booth.

Scion is no stranger to SEMA. The automaker never makes a big fuss (there's no press conference and its booth is best described as humble). However, Scion has consistently showed off some of my favorite concepts during the three years that I've been attending this show.

This year, the star of Scion's show was the new iQ. Four custom examples of the microcompact … Read more