Everything used to be better – just look at the Toyota Supra A80, the Nissan Skyline R34 or the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Reviving the old times is not possible, but the Japanese car brands are working on a lot of cool cars to keep Japanese car enthusiasts happy. Below is a list of what you can expect in the near future.
Honda Civic Type R (2022)
The power is not yet known, but it will be enough to compete with cars like the VW Golf R, Mercedes-AMG A 45 and Audi RS 3; although the Type R will likely remain front-wheel drive, with a limited-slip differential. Laughing on wet roundabouts. The current Type R is still one of the most entertaining driver’s cars out there, so we assume its successor will be loud, rough and very, very good.
A new Integra will also hit the US market in 2023: a five-door hatchback with a high-output 1.5-litre VTEC four-cylinder and a manual transmission. We would have liked to see a Type R with the psycho-Civic drivetrain, but actually we don’t like the silhouette of the new Integra, so we don’t care that it isn’t coming this way.
Nissan GT-R (2024)
Rumors of the next Nissan GT-R started buzzing when the R35 came out – and that was in 2007. So far we’ve seen the wildest speculation, with Nissan’s deliberate vagueness on the matter not helping much. Nissan guru Hiroshi Tamura recently told us that the brand is still (!) wondering whether the R36 is a feasible idea, but that all options are or have been considered: from electric to hybrid and even just petrol.
We suspect that it will be a kind of überhybrid, with combustion horsepower to the rear wheels and an electric motor on the front wheels. Another rumor has it that a modified version of the current 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 is all the new GT-R needs. It is unclear how Nissan should cycle such a thing through the globally tightened emission requirements. Anyway, we hope that the next GT-R will be a mix between the Vision GT and the Italdesign GT-R50.
Subaru WRX
The WRX is back! Just not in Europe, and no STI version is planned. So forgive us if we seem a little blasé. Anyway, the new WRX will get a 2.4-liter turbo engine with 275 hp and 350 Nm, four-wheel drive and a choice of a six-speed manual or a Subaru Performance Transmission automatic. Perfect for fans in the US, not so much for here.
Optionally there are Recaros, electronically controlled mufflers, an 11.6-inch touchscreen and some bits of carbon fiber, but to be honest this WRX couldn’t have been further from the glorious rally specials of yesteryear. What we really want is an STI with a stupid picnic table spoiler, more air intake than hood, and a turbo lag you can measure in two deep breaths. Plus fuel-wasting anti-lag with flames from the exhaust. We live in hope.
Honda NSX (2025)
Honda recently unveiled a pair of fast-looking car covers with some fuzzy shapes underneath that apparently mark the brand’s future. One is a ‘specialty’, the other a ‘flagship’, whatever that means. Both are EVs (no hybrids here) and one is likely the next NSX.
Before that, they will first get the NSX Type S of the current generation in the US, with a bit more power (from 581 to 600 hp), more torque (+22 Nm), turbos from the GT3 and a revived hybrid engine. battery with 20 percent more usable capacity and 10 percent more output.
It has different, more dedicated suspension, an aggressive nine-speed transmission with faster upshifts and angrier downshifts, and a “lightweight package” that shaves 26.2 pounds off the whole thing. Sounds good, right? If so, you’ll have to move: only 350 are made, with 300 going to the US and the rest to other markets. Boo.
Toyota GR Corolla
Great news from Toyota, because a lot is happening around their performance brand Gazoo Racing (GR). That makes us happy, although we were disappointed when it turned out that the stripped, lower, wider and focused GRMN Yaris is only for Japan; including ‘rally package’ with tasty dealer-installed options. drool.
In America they get the GR Corolla with four-wheel drive and over 300 horsepower from the 1.6-liter three-cylinder, plus the same driving modes and manual transmission as the angry Yaris. For when you like to take / scare more than one passenger. We do get the new GR86 here in Europe, but it costs more than 60 grand in the Netherlands. Toyota can’t do anything about it. By the way, our colleagues in the UK sold out the total allocated print run in 90 minutes.
We also need to talk about the potential 1,000 horsepower GT Super Sport hypercar – basically a Le Mans LMP1 car. He even gets the street version of the powertrain from the TS050 Hybrid.
Toyota Supra with manual transmission
There’s now also a manual Supra and while it may be a bit of a niche, we’re extremely happy it exists. It can be recognized by the red Supra logos, so you can show the world that you are a fan of three pedals.
If the same transmission were also behind the lighter (-100 kg) 2.0-litre four-cylinder, that would be really nice – for people who think driving itself is more important than speed. But at the other end of the spectrum, we seem to be able to find a GRMN super-Supra in some time, with 540 hp from the same S58 engine as the BMW M3/M4.
Still rear-wheel drive, though there is a rumor that the BMW model hierarchy will be recreated with the addition of an AWD option. Whether he will also get a manual gearbox is still being discussed. Anyway, a promising prospect…
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