MrOtocinclus

Just spent 1+ weeks in Tokyo, all the while keeping my eyes open for our beloved CU2s... nothing. I would say that Hondas, period, were few and far between. Seemed to be a Toyota lovefest with a few Mazdas sprinkled in here and there. I took the time to stop by a Honda dealership and even they had no CU2s.

Same thing in Hong Kong, though I did finally see a CU2 streak by the other day. It's not sold here so the owner probably imported it from Japan.

I'll be in the UK next week so hopefully I'll see some Accords. In the meantime, here's an IS-F CCS-R that I saw in Odaiba:

spdandpwr

wth, if they don't sell many hondas in japan, then why do they get special models like the type-rs and special versions of the s2000. Seriously, give your loving american market a chance.

turning japanese

Apparently the CU2 doesn't comply to what the Japanese government classifies as a compact sedan, so that probably has something to do with it. Taxes and insurance have to do with car size and engine displacement. And also certification that adequate parking is available. That's why kei cars are so popular there (less tax, insurance, and highway/bridge toll fees, etc..) Wealthier Japanese who want larger and more expensive cars tend to prefer foreign made cars and that's normally why there's fewer larger Japanese luxury cars. Plus with the rising yen, foreign built cars are priced less in Japan now.

The ten most popular cars in Japan during the first six months of 2012 according to car sales statistics released by JADA were:

1. Toyota Prius
2. Honda Fit
3. Toyota Aqua
4. Honda Freed
5. Toyota Vitz
6. Nissan Serena
7. Toyota Vellfire
8. Toyota Corolla
9. Honda Stepwagon
10. Mazda Demio

ed_423

lol whats a hond FREED?

turning japanese

This

MrOtocinclus

Yep, definitely saw a lot of Kei cars, and of course the Toyota Crown taxis. For luxury vehicles, I noticed a handful of Audis and a few BMW 7s, but in my area it was mostly Lexus LS or the Toyota equivalent (if there is one).

The Vellfire/Alphards are cool, with their body kits and styling. Would probably get laughed at if seen in the states, though.

Saw this commercial a lot:

turning japanese

The woman on the left in the video (at 0:08) is Jessica Michibata, Jensen Button's girlfriend. What's she doing in a Suzuki ad? She should be doing ads for the new McLaren MP4-12C

ttk5

Thats kind of sad to hear...we all have this huge excitement over JDM-ness, but there arent even any on the road?!

Mr. NC

Lexus LS = Toyota Celsior.

Would love to drive a Toyota Chaser or a Crown Athlete. Nissan President or Cima. or Skyline R34...LOL the list goes on and on.

CAgine

surprising amount of Audis, Porsche, and bimmers in Tokyo area. Lot of rich people in Tokyo I assume.