2005 Tokyo Auto Show

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The 2005 Tokyo Motor Show shaped up to be a dream come true. No, the Skyline GT-R was still a concept and there was no new NSX or Supra. There was, however, a dozen or so concept vehicles that looked as though they were scribbled on nightstand notebooks after a few sake-fueled fantasies.

Almost all of them came from the minds of Japanese designers, even Chrysler's Akino concept was penned by a Japanese native living in San Diego. The Akino is a cab-forward crossover-type vehicle that uses recyclable materials inside and unusual window lines to give it that futuristic look. The Akino was joined by some similar concepts from Suzuki like the P.X, a wannabe minivan that looks like an Airstream travel trailer and the Ionis, a smaller people mover. Nissan rolled out four new concepts of its own ranging from a pint-size coupe to the way-out-there Pivo podmobile.

Leaning toward the production side of things was the star of the show, the Nissan GT-R concept that's slated to go on sale in 2007. Audi's Shooting Brake Concept looked like it could hit showrooms within the next few years as well. Subaru's B5 concept, a hybrid-powered hatchback was another near production-looking concept as were Mitsubishi's Concept-X and the Lexus Flagship Sedan concept. Actual production vehicles included the Audi S8 and the Mitsubishi Outlander. It was the Japanese market version, but we hear the U.S. model won't be much different.