Steampunk Masterpiece (And More) Debuts At Tokyo Motor Show 2015

TOKYO Japan has unveiled the future of driving.

At the Tokyo Motor Show, the biennial car convention open to the public Oct. 30 through Nov. 8, Japans auto giants unveiled concept cars and consumer-ready models with sleek designs and engineering. The new vehicles emphasize high performance, sportiness and environmental impact.

Mazda announced the RX-Vision, a sports car that revives the rotary engine. Toyotas lightweight S-FR sports car drew a lot of attention. Lexus and Honda debuted their environmentally friendly fuel cell vehicles the LF-FC and the Clarity Fuel Cell.

The show comes at a pivotal moment for the auto industry. Facing budding competition from tech giants Google and Apple and all-electric upstart Tesla, car companies are racing to innovate.

HuffPost Japan attended a press showing on Wednesday and photographed some of the most intriguing new vehicles on display:

Toyota Kikai

Kenji Ando

World premiere. An unusual experimental car with the components of its frame clearly visible. The aim of this car is to convey the beauty of the machinery and allow the fascinating movement of the parts to be seen.

Mazda RX-Vision

Kenji Ando

World premiere. An experimental large-scale sports car. It features a revival of the rotary engine, which has not been seen since the RX-8 ended production in 2012.

Toyota S-FR

Kenji Ando

World premiere. An experimental lightweight sports car. It uses FR (front engine/rear drive), which has become rare on the world auto stage. A unique feature on this car: the angry-looking headlights.

Lexus LF-FC

Kenji Ando

World premiere. A high-end car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. An experimental car from Toyota's Lexus luxury brand, it features autonomous driving capabilities intended for the highway.

Honda Project 2&4 powered by RC213V

Kenji Ando

An experimental car with a 1960s Honda F1 motif.

Toyota Prius (IV)

Kenji Ando

Japanese premiere. The fourth generation of Toyota's internationally famous hybrid car. The shape of the headlights on this model has become more complex. Its gas mileage has gone up, and the car can now run for 93 miles on one gallon of gasoline, according to Japanese tests. Scheduled to be available for purchase in December 2015.

Polaris Slingshot

Kenji Ando

Japanese premiere. Polaris' three-wheel motorcycle. It has two wheels in the front and one wheel in the back.

Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

Kenji Ando

World premiere. A hydrogen fuel cell car scheduled to begin leasing in March 2016. It can travel about 30 miles farther than the Toyota Mirai, which is also scheduled for release in 2016.

Honda NSX (II)

Kenji Ando

Japanese premiere. A revival of the made-in-Japan sports car. It is a hybrid car equipped with a turbo engine and three motors.

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

Kenji Ando

Japanese premiere. A convertible midship sports car.

Mini Convertible (IV)

Kenji Ando

World premiere. A convertible model of the Mini makes an appearance. Its new "Caribbean aqua" color is refreshing to look at.

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