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Japan is on a roll.
Not since the heyday of the ’80s and early ‘90s has its car industry been so confident and progressive, taking wild chances when – in the past – things would have been played way too safe.
Maybe it’s the threat from new Chinese brands with nothing to lose muscling in on their territory, or perhaps a post-pandemic realisation that life is too short and the right time is always now, because, increasingly, there are bold, inspired ideas coming through, especially from Toyota and Honda.
Take a look at the latest Suzuki Swift Hybrid powertrain. Manual option. Sub-$25K pricing. A cracker of a chassis. Brilliant. What a breath of fresh air in 2024.
Swift-aside, none are (as yet) slated for Australia. That’s partly because of challenging Australian Design Rules (ADR) like antiquated seatbelt latches that typically add years of delays and layers of unnecessary cost. Lately, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Nissan and others have called for sweeping ADR reforms that promise to bring lower prices, increased choice and better cars for our market.
Here, then, are the new-wave Japanese cars that are absolutely crushing it elsewhere (but not here).
Miss the Honda Jazz? We do. But we also understand why it’s been absent from Australia since 2020, with buyers migrating into small SUVs instead.
Now there’s this – the Elevate. Slotting underneath the premium HR-V, the chunky little crossover is aimed directly at budget-minded urbanites who might otherwise consider a Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic or MG ZS.
To contain costs, it’s the first Honda built in India for Japan (where it’s sold as the WR-V, even though a smaller model with that name exists elsewhere in the company’s line-up), and uses the long-lived 1.5-litre four-cylinder L-series powertrain. But the Elevate/WR-V is related to the latest Jazz/Fit underneath and will also include hybrid and EV options, boast modern styling inside and out and include a long list of advanced driver-assist safety systems.
Here’s a fun fact: while the name is a cloying backronym for ‘Empowerment, Liberation, Exploration, Versatility, Aspiration, Transformation and Evolution, the WR-V’s more homespun Winsome Recreational Vehicle acronym is charming. Either way, how about it, Honda Australia?
In 1964, the majority of family car buyers chose an EH Holden. They could have instead picked one of the recently-released Toyota Crowns imported from Japan specifically to take on Australia’s Own. Fast-forward 60 years and Holden is gone, but we’re now into the 16th generation of Crown. Known as the 230-series, its ambition and scope are something else. Only the name is shared with the immaculate doily-clad hat-shaped body-on-frame taxis still plying the streets of Tokyo.
Introduced worldwide during 2023, there are four shockingly distinct Crowns: the swoopy Crossover Sedan, sleek Sport wagon, high-riding Signia crossover (like a larger Subaru Outback) and elegant fastback Sedan. All four are electrified, offering Toyota-typical hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) choices, but the fastback Sedan truly breaks ground by also adding the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) option within a production series.
It’s like discovering that your high-school librarian is now an MCU superhero.
Yes, it’s still a concept, but if the production version of the show-stealing Prelude out next year maintains the same beautiful proportions and exquisite attention to detail, then the motoring world is in for a treat. Seen in the flesh at the 2023 Tokyo Mobility Show last October, the styling is unexpectedly arresting.
It is also a very welcome return to a class that Honda absolutely lorded over from the 1980s through to the mid-‘00s, and not just with four generations of Prelude but also with other sports coupe icons like the CRX, Integra, Legend and – most daringly – original NSX.
We don’t know much else about the car, except that it will be offered as a petrol-electric hybrid, and will most likely share many of its architectural and mechanical components with the current Civic. Given that today’s Type R is the world’s greatest hot hatch, we’re expecting a thing of joy from a brand that seems to have rediscovered its mojo.
Arguably the most beautiful hatchback in production, the fifth-generation Prius is what a hybrid would look like if it had been penned by Pininfarina. Or Lancia in an alternate-universe timeline. It is that pretty.
Gobsmackingly so, in fact, considering how grotesque the preceding insectoid Prius from 2015 to 2022 was. Which explains why nobody bought it, prompting Toyota Australia to expel the pioneering series altogether. Did it do so before seeing this sleek little supermodel in the product pipeline? Who can say? That Toyota UK performed an about-face by speedily un-declining its invitation to the latest Prius party should persuade the good people at the Altona headquarters to follow suit.
Keep Australia Beautiful. Please reinstate Prius.
Some Japanese carmakers reckon Kei cars are now cool enough to appeal to Australians – once the ADR regs are streamlined with global standards to make them easier and cheaper to import.
Limited to under 3.4 metres long, 1.5m wide and about 1.5m tall to fit within Japan’s Kei car parameters. One of the leading contenders is the Suzuki Alto – a series that debuted way back in 1979 and one that’s familiar to many Australians. The original badged here as the 800 Hatch as well as the seventh-gen iteration from the early 2010s, even racked up sizeable sales.
Today’s Alto is version number nine, and features simple, geometric lines that give it an uncluttered aesthetic. Combined with a characterful face, deep windows and a pleasingly presented interior, it’s easy to imagine this becoming a poster child for the cost-of-living crisis as well as the antidote to the dual-cab ute infestation, particularly when factoring in the Suzuki’s super-efficient engineering.
From some angles, the Alto even evokes the great Austin/Morris Mini/1100/1800 models of the 1960s.
With new vehicle emissions standards coming in next year, the time may be ripe for Australians to finally adopt small urban multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs).
Now in its third cycle, the smartly-styled Honda Freed is the latest in a large array of two or three-row seating choices. But exceptionally clean and crisp design sets this one apart outside – especially its friendly face – while an attractive yet functional cabin layout prioritises space, comfort and ease, and all within a compact footprint. That’s because the newcomer is based on the latest Jazz/Fit platform as per the related Elevate/WR-V.
The Freed III also ushers in the option of Honda’s advanced (and acclaimed) e:HEV hybrid powertrain, as well as front or all-wheel drive specification and a surprisingly beefy Crosstar variant, bringing extra ground clearance, SUV-style additional cladding on the bumpers/arches and a few other adventure-evoking crossover tropes.
Fancy a Rolls-Royce Cullinan but cannot quite manage the $750,000 price tag? Toyota, again comes to the rescue, with an SUV version of its big-in-Japan G60 Century sedan.
Derived from the US-market Grand Highlander (XXL Kluger) platform, the G70 Century brandishes the imposing size and proportions of the ultra-luxury brand SUVs, while packing in as much technology as possible, including a V6 PHEV powertrain providing about 65km of pure-EV range – and with performance to match.
This isn’t the formidable hand-built Toyota flagship for VIPs, heads of state, royalty and dictators that the super-exclusive Century sedan series has been since its 1967 inception three generations ago, but the SUV version does provide a distinctly Japanese take on a class defined by the Cullinan and arch-rival Bentley Bentayga.
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