Oddballs of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

The biannual show kicks off Oct. 29. Here are five concepts that will scramble the most brains.

By Clifford AtiyehOctober 9, 2015

New Cars

Possibly inspired by the cleanup robots chasing Wall-E, the Honda WanderStand is something out of our future—where our future a dystopia of shiny toys. Or it’s just a really nice, wheeled refrigerator. The world’s most fashionable Porta-Potty? Honda hasn’t been very forthcoming, allowing only that the WanderStand can “wander around freely.”

The premium SUV-coupe segment has two primary contenders, the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupe. These vehicles make zero sense, but that’s not stopping Mitsubishi. Consider the eX Concept, a budget Tesla Model X sans falcon-wing doors: It’s all-electric, all-wheel drive and may well pack some of the rally-inspired, torque-vectoring tech from the company’s Evo sedans. Bury your tinny little i-MiEV, Mitsubishi, and get working on this.

While Volkswagen teases us with pledges to build a retro-modern Bulli bus, Suzuki has fielded this microvan concept. The Air Triser packs three rows of seats in that little frame, and all of them can swivel to face each other or lock together to form a U-shaped couch. Suzuki Motors: Dead in the U.S., still partying hard in Japan.

Like Deuce Coupes and other genuine hot rods, the Nineties travesty that was the Plymouth Prowler rocked exposed front control arms. So does the Toyota Kikai, a three-person buggy that skews more Harajuku district than Burbank. Beneath the lovable, Sixties-reminiscent interior (complete with thin spoke steering wheel), the Kikai wants you to check out its parts. So there’s a window by the driver’s feet for watching the suspension in all its articulating glory. Kinky, Kikai. Very kinky.

Here’s one that errs more towards reality than reverie. The Viziv Concept—a name used for numerous Subaru crossover concepts in recent years—is a good indication of how the next-gen Outback, or a even Forester refresh, might look. It’s a turbocharged, gas-electric hybrid with all-wheel drive and 360-degree collision sensors. Something (read: everything) about this practically packaged, pretty crossover needs to make it to Subaru dealers in the next few years.