Tuners Are Fighting The OEMs… and Winning | Tokyo Auto Salon 2026

Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 is an odd mix between the Japanese aftermarket community and the OEMs on which many of their cars are based. The legends in the space (HKS, Tom's, etc.) brought a strong enthusiasm to the show while the OEMs fell behind in many ways. Toyota/GR trolled us with an MR2 announcement that never happened, Subaru released another non-STi, and Honda disappointed many of us before the show even began with the new Prelude and its CVT gearbox. Okay, but Nissan finally gave the Nismo Z three pedals... I'll take a win where I can get one.