2019 Tokyo Auto Salon Preview – New Nissan Concepts Include a Wild JUKE Snowmobile

By Steve & Tamami Laser

The Tokyo Auto Salon, one of our favorite car shows in Japan, is coming up fast. Billed as a “Custom Car Extravaganza,” the 37th annual show will feature displays by major automakers, aftermarket companies, tuning shops, plus parts, accessories, attire, related products, and much more.

The 2019 edition, scheduled for Jan. 11-13, has booked the entire Makuhari Messe Convention Complex in Chiba, near Tokyo. With more than 800 vehicles on display, there will be something for everyone, including the latest concepts cars, high-performance vehicles, racing machines, and customized classic cars, trucks and vans.

The custom car scene is so popular in Japan that attendance for the event has topped more than 300,000 people for each of the last four shows. That means more than 100,000 people per day fill the convention halls to the max. And while January can be pretty cold in Tokyo, fans also gather at the outdoor arena for special events.

Nissan at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan is planning to exhibit a full lineup of customized vehicles, concepts, and racing cars. One that’s sure to turn plenty of heads is the new JUKE Personalization Adventure Concept (above). This highly modified crossover “snowmobile” looks like it’s ready to hit the slopes with aggressive front and rear treads, huge fender flares, and more goodies that Nissan will reveal at the show.

This unique Nissan X-TRAIL + Naomi Osaka Concept is a collaboration between the automaker and the Grand Slam champion tennis player who also serves as a Nissan Brand Ambassador.

Also on display is a special limited-edition GT-R that commemorates Nissan’s partnership with Osaka. The automaker plans to build 50 replicas of this GT-R for customers in Japan who can select different exterior colors and interior trims.

If the Nissan ELGRAND looks familiar, it’s because the van is similar to the Nissan QUEST that used to be offered in the U.S. market. This modified version, called “ELGRAND Sports Premium Concept,” rides on 20-inch wheels and is dressed with exterior and interior mods. While specifics will be announced at the show, we can see that the concept wears GT-R inspired paint along with a piano-black front grille.

Pro-tuner AUTECH, a Nissan subsidiary, plans to display an array of customized vehicles including the LEAF concept shown above. With its “Premium Personalization Program,” customers can spec various Nissan models with different colors, trim, and equipment choices.

NISMO, Nissan’s performance brand, plans to showcase its lineup of customized street vehicles. Enhanced with performance parts and special trim, models include the NISMO SERENA (above), NISMO LEAF, and NISMO NOTE e-POWER.

Nissan and NISMO also plan to display racing cars including the electric Nissan Formula E (above), LEAF NISMO RC (below), and MOTUL AUTECH GT-R.

Nissan plans to build six of the new LEAF NISMO RCs and take them to various global events, including EV races and auto shows, to promote the automaker’s EV technology and its best-selling electric production car.

Display vehicles are subject to change without notice. Production vehicles mentioned in this story are for the Japan market.

News source and photos courtesy of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Autech Japan Co., Ltd., Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd., and Tokyo Auto Salon Association (TASA)

Story (commentary) © 2018 CarNichiWa.com