Hyundai Nods to Enthusiasts and Fist-Bumps Toyota at 2025 Tokyo Salon

Yahoo

13-02-2025

My snacks are resting on the gargantuan wing of the Subaru S207 outside of a Family Mart in a Tokyo suburb, the collection of onigiri (which I opened incorrectly), a spicy fried chicken cutlet, and a sweet hot milk tea, are an improbable assortment, but then again, most of this trip is surprising.
Lured by the continuation of a budding relationship between Toyota and Hyundai, the world's first and third largest automakers on Earth—titans of their respective countries—was reason enough to make a 17-hour time zone change.
At the end of last year, Akio Toyoda, whose last name carries the weight of generations, made a trip to Seoul and met with the chairman of Hyundai, after a previous meeting between the two in Japan.
Toyoda, a capable driver in the race-y things, enjoyed some wheel time in the Hyundai Yaris WRC, drifting the car with Hyundai Chairman Euisun Chung riding shotgun. Such a thing would be unthinkable not long ago and maybe even currently, but this was the kickoff to an inaugural Hyundai N X Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival.
A gracious connection forged, and in addition to motorsports, the two have penciled discussions about shared interests, including hydrogen-powered vehicles and robotics. In these countries, at this level, there's an air of near royalty and diplomacy involved.
Fast forward to January, and Hyundai is showing off a couple of enthusiast cars at the Tokyo Auto Salon, a further step in this cross-cultural opening, of two proud countries with a complex past and luminescent futures.
In the scrum of one of these Hyundai debuts at the Auto Salon, I catch the eye of a Toyota executive. 'None of this, nothing in here' (he makes a circular motion with his index finger, indicating everything in the grand hall) 'happens without a full blessing from the top-top. It's great to see.'
The two cars Hyundai is showing off were revealed in collaboration with Mini GT, and Keiichi Tsuchiya—the Drift King—a Japanese icon in the JDM drift scene. The Mini GT was intended to both further Hyundai's growing enthusiast car profile to collectors of the model cars and to kids, etching a bit of name recognition with the younger generation.
Uniquely it was Mini GT's first 1:1 scale project, completed in less than three months. Naturally, a 1:64 scale model will follow, featuring the WRC-inspired aero aesthetics, with the sizable wing and diffuser you might expect, ultra-wide body kit, 305/20 tires, and more, to handle 650-plus horsepower.
The second car, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N DK Edition, which stands for Drift King, was developed using Japanese suppliers as well, to Tsuchiya's exacting standards. Tsuchiya's involvement goes a step further here, to drifting the RN24—a roll cage on wheels based on a chopped up Ioniq 5 N—to a very large assembled crowd outside of the Makuhari Messe event hall.
'I really like that they're trying their best to be part of our culture,' automotive photographer Larry Chen tells me. Chen, who has a forthcoming book based on shooting cars for 20 years, has been coming to Japan to cover the scene for nearly as long.
'They're partnering with icons, like actual living legends.' Chen sees this as essential and notes the Japanese had to buy their credibility and attention in the US.
Whether it was Sean Connery's James Bond driving a Toyota 2000GT in 1967's You Only Live Twice, or Nissan enlisting Paul Newman to help advertise and sell the Nissan Skyline in the '80s, there were deliberate, successful efforts to tap in.
Back to the Family Mart in the outskirts of Tokyo now, and we've sated ourselves with convenience store delicacies. We pile into the Subaru S207 and Chen is taking us to a car meet—one that's sanctioned, which has its pros and cons.
Pro: We won't get gassed out by fumes and revving cars in a claustrophobic garage somewhere like happened to Chen last year. We also won't be shooed away by authorities shutting it down. It's outside of a stadium, and it's expected to be a large gathering.
Cons: We might not get some of the underground meet energy, whatever that might mean. Even just approaching the stadium on the highway, you see cars you know are also headed over.
We arrive in the dark, and there's a festive vibe that every car meet seems to have, just excitement and good energy. You don't invest time and energy to be here randomly. You come for the show, which looks different every time, but is at once comfortingly familiar, as well.
This particular meet is quite diverse. While some have themes, like the Japanese lowrider clubs that have sprung up, in part influenced by California's Chicano car culture, here there's a medley of genres.
The common thread? Enthusiasm. Love for your ride. A medley of aftermarket rims on sometimes aggressively cambered wheels, pushing the limits of contact patches.
There are GT-Rs; 911s; a Camaro SS packing a 6.2-liter V8 underhood, serious heat for Japanese streets; a van with a bong-lava-lamp looking thing, impossibly low fenders, and all of the body kits, wheels, wheels, wheels.
Everything aftermarket all at once on some, while others lean into purist tastes, with maybe a graphic or decal as a small act of rebellion. There's excitement in the frigid winter air.
Chen says activity is highest during this time of year. 'You won't see an uptick to this level during the mobility show,' he says. It's the dry season, the time to take these cars out for drives.
The racing season hadn't started yet, the automotive calendar is relatively quiet, and Japanese car culture lovers increasingly flock from all corners. Many of the people present are visiting, taking it all in, like us.
This, of course, is a near daily occurrence in Japan, whether it's the Daikoku meet in Yokohama that serves as a sort of rolling meet (most busy on weekends), or any number of sporadic meets that pop up in the city and across the country.
All of this begs the question: Might we see Hyundais at these meets in a generation? That remains to be seen, but this budding relationship between two automotive powers—and competitors—is fascinating.
And Hyundai is putting in the effort to tap into this rich, deep, passionate culture.
Do you see Toyota and Hyundai expanding their relationship around car culture? Can you think of other automakers that could do the same? Please comment below.