The Tokyo Auto Show just happened and my timeline is full of cars that will never come to America. Which feels about right for October.

You know that feeling when you see something perfect but know you can't have it? Like finding your dream car on Facebook Marketplace but it's in another state and the seller only responds with "still available" at 3 AM? That's what scrolling through Tokyo Auto Show coverage feels like when you live anywhere that isn't Japan.

But let's talk about it anyway because automotive anxiety includes longing for things that will never be yours.

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Honda Made a Hot Hatch That Plays Pretend

The Honda Super-ONE Prototype is aggressively cute. Like if a Civic had a baby with a N600 and that baby grew up watching too much Fast & Furious. It's tiny. It's electric. And it has something called "Boost Mode" that... wait for it... makes fake engine sounds and pretends to shift through seven gears that don't exist.

Honda literally programmed this EV to LARP as a gas car. There's a simulated transmission. Active sound control pumping "vroom vroom" into the cabin. They made an electric car that cosplays as an combustion engine vehicle and honestly? I respect the commitment to the bit.

It's coming in 2026 to Japan, the UK, and parts of Asia. Not America. Because we can't have nice tiny things anymore. We're too busy buying SUVs that need their own zip codes.

Honda Also Made an SUV That Looks Like a Fancy Bar of Soap

The Honda 0 Alpha is the "gateway model" to their 0 Series lineup. Which sounds like they're trying to get you hooked on electric SUVs the way your friend got you into mechanical keyboards. "Just try this entry level one" they say. Next thing you know you're watching YouTube videos about "Thin, Light, and Wise" design philosophy at 2 AM.

The whole front end is one big screen area (very AFEELA vibes!). Headlights, charging port, Honda badge... all integrated into what they're calling a "screen area" which feels like someone in marketing got really excited about displays. It's launching in 2027 in Japan and India. The Element we have at home could never.

Mazda Remembered Rotaries Exist and It’s Actually Awesome

The Mazda Vision X Coupe has 500 horsepower from a plug in hybrid system that uses... a turbocharged rotary engine as a generator. Mazda saw everyone moving to boring electric motors and said "what if we kept the soul but made it make sense this time?"

It can drive 99 miles on battery alone. Then the rotary kicks in and gives you almost 500 miles of total range. And nerd out with me for a second... using a rotary as a range extender is genuinely smart. No load on the engine means fewer apex seal nightmares. Just spinning at optimal RPM doing what rotaries do best without the drama of actually driving the wheels.

They also claim it reduces atmospheric CO2 "the more it is driven" with some microalgae carbon neutral fuel situation. Is it marketing speak? Maybe. But at least Mazda is trying something different while everyone else builds another crossover.

It's a concept. Which means we might actually see something close to this because Mazda has been pretty good about following through lately. The rotary is back and it's being used the way it probably should have been all along.

Is Subaru Back?

The Performance B STI Concept exists and it's making me feel things. Actual boxer turbo four under the hood. Symmetrical all wheel drive. It's a hot hatch. In a world where Subaru deleted the hatchback from the WRX lineup and killed off STI entirely... this feels like they're taunting us.

"Remember when we made cool stuff?" they whisper from Tokyo. "Yeah we could do that again. Maybe. If you're good. And live in Japan."

The rear wing is absolutely bananas. Even if it’s just a concept car that will may never see the light of day.

Next Week...

If you're like me and looking forward to the FOMO of missing the SEMA Show next week... hit subscribe because there are tons of incredible builds about to be unveiled and I'll cover all of them in next week's newsletter. Including this incredible Auto Union project from John Ludwick that makes me question every life choice I've made...

The universe doesn't owe us anything. Not affordable hot hatches. Not reliable rotaries. Not even check engine lights that tell us what's actually wrong. But we're all here anyway... pursuing something.

- Nick
Founder, PURSUIT OF SOMETHING

If you’re headed to a cars and coffee this weekend let me know where!