As expected, Subaru unveiled the Hybrid Tourer Concept at Tokyo, which features the world’s first hybrid drivetrain whose engine has Subaru’s trademark ‘boxer’ configuration. That allows Subaru to herald a spurious green first.

What’s all the fuss about?

The ‘gullwing’ doors, futuristic styling and the fact it’s a hybrid all stand out, but most pressing is the fact it probably hints at what the next Impreza will look like. When we first saw this concept in picture form, we thought it looked somewhat like an Alfa Brera at the back end – and that’s still the case in the metal, sort of. It’s very stylish indeed, which is not something usually said of Subaru’s products.

What makes it so green?

That boxer hybrid drivetrain is actually very clever, because it has two electric motors, one on the front axle and one in the back. The more powerful of the two is at the back and can drive the car alone at low speeds before the turbo boxer petrol engine kicks in at higher velocities. The front motor is normally a generator used to charge the batteries, but if extra traction is needed, the 13bhp unit can kick in and power the front wheels. Thus, this concept has an unusual type of green four-wheel drivetrain. {via Mark Nichol}

It’s easily the most expensive Civic yet, costs a wallet-withering £38,599 and in one sense is an absolute bargain.

Why? Because each of these tuned 240bhp Type Rs costs about £190,000 to build, netting creator Mugen a £150,000 loss for every example sold. Which makes it easier to understand why there will only be 20.

There is method to this fiscal madness, however, the establishment of Honda engine tuner Mugen in the minds of UK petrolheads being the aim. We Brits buy more Type R Civics than any other country, including Japan, presenting this tuning specialist with a tempting commercial opportunity. Mugen means “unlimited” – supposedly of power, rather than price – and though it’s owned by the Honda family, with a history stretching back to 1973, it operates separately from Honda.

Unusually, the process of making these 20 special Civics occurs entirely in the UK, Honda shipping British-built Type Rs from its Swindon plant to Mugen’s premises in Northampton. The priciest element is the total strip-down and high-precision rebuild of the engine into what’s virtually a full-race, hand-built £19,000 motor.

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Tokyo might not seem like the natural place for small British sportscar maker Lotus to reveal a new model but it’s done exactly that. Alongside the Japanese debut of the Evora, Lotus rolled out its Exige Stealth: a matte-painted machine that’d look perfect in Darth Vader’s garage.

What’s all the fuss about?

A special edition Lotus is always going to cause a stir and this Stealth one in Tokyo did exactly that. The flat paint gives this limited-run machine a look that lives up to its name, the contrasting gloss black stripes and carbon fibre trim making it about the most aggressive looking Exige we’ve ever seen. The most touched too, nobody passing it able to resist the temptation to feel the soft finish of the paintwork. Only 35 will be built and five are earmarked for Japanese customers.

Any new technology?

Not really, except that fancy paint – which unlike others is a proper matte finish rather than a matte lacquer over regular paint. It’s about 10kg lighter than the regular 260bhp Exige Cup car it’s based on. Sold as the Stealth in Japan only, it’ll be called Scuda elsewhere in the world – which is Italian for ‘dark’, apparently. {via}