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Toyota partnered with motorsports specialist GRMN and come up with a turbocharged version of the Vitz (Yaris) at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon. Although the display is a one-off event, Toyota is said to be shifting its focus to downsized, turbocharged gasoline direct-injected (T-GDI) engines. Although Toyota is the leading producer of hybrid engines, the market is small compared to the number of T-GDI motors out there. Take a look at Saturday's edition of The Straits Times and I'm sure you will find acronyms such as "TFSI", "TSI", "EcoBoost" and "TwinPower Turbo". Although Toyota has used direct-injection and turbocharging technologies in certain models, other carmakers like Volkswagen have implemented them in their entire engine lineup. A small Japanese business daily paper reported that T-GDI engines could appear in domestic models such as the Crown as soon as 2013, and they could be marketed to China and Europe as well. Automotive analyst of Deutsche Bank Kurt Sanger told The Detroit Bureau, "We expect it (America) to be a potential market for such technology to further increase the competitiveness of (Toyota) products." Other sources believe that the next-generation Toyota Corolla is likely the first all-new model to receive a T-GDI engine.

The 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon is just around the corner. It will be held at the Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex in Chiba from 11 January 2013 to 13 January 2013. Many Japanese auto firms and aftermarket companies will display their wares or projects at the show and Honda has announced its line-up for the upcoming auto show. Modulo, Honda's aftermarket products division has a couple of cars that will be presented at the show. Firstly, it is the S2000 Modulo Climax. It is practically an S2000 which was given a new exterior styling and interior parts. Next up is Honda's latest Kei car model, the N-One. It also receives Modulo's styling treatment, both interior and exterior. Mugen, another aftermarket and tuning firm closely associated with Honda, will also display several of their cars. First up is the Honda CR-Z Mugen RZ. On top of the sporty looking exterior styling, the hybrid hatchback receives a supercharger which delivers around 174bhp which includes the supplemental 20bhp from the electric motor. The car also receives adjustable suspension, 17 inch forged wheels and larger front brakes. The car comes in only one body colour which Mugen calls Azure Blue Metallic and only 300 units will be made commercially. Mugen has also developed a couple of "Mugen treated" Honda N-Ones. The Mugen N-One did not receive any engine modifications, only exterior styling modifications and Mugen badged interior parts. The car comes in either red or white body colour. Honda will also display two cars from the Super GT racing series and they are the HSV-010 GT and the Mugen CRZ-GT. The Mugen CR-Z GT racing car won the 2012 Formula Nippon team championship under the Docomo Dandelion Racing team.