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Excessive accessories are on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon

The Japanese tuning industry may finally be emerging from the economic slump if this year's Tokyo Auto Salon is an accurate barometer. The three-day spectacular--Japan's equivalent of SEMA--attracted nearly a quarter-million visitors, all eager to get a glimpse of the latest cars and the newest excessive accessories for 2011. Here's a recap: The Honda CR-Z was, without a doubt, the car of the show, and some versions were tuned to deliver up to 300 hp, thanks to turbocharging or supercharging kits.

BMW & Toyota to collaborate on next-generation lithium-ion battery cells

Toyota & BMW to work together on next-gen lithium-ion batteries BMW and Toyota are to work together to develop next-generation lithium-ion battery technology to try and make battery power more effective. Late last year we learnt that BMW and Toyota are to work more closely to share technology and expertise as the car industry enters a period of consolidation and partnership to try and keep R&D costs under control, and make their products more cost-effective. The result of the BMW Toyota tie-up sees BMW getting access to some of Toyota’s Hybrid nous and Toyota getting access to BMW’s excellent diesel engines.

Infiniti to tap Nissan UK’s fleet customers to grow sales

Infiniti to leverage Nissan Corporate Sales for growth in the UK We do have a habit of taking the Michael out of Infinit’s efforts to grow car sales in the UK. We’ve often wondered if they’re working on a strategy that goes counter to logic in the hope it pays dividends. For example, the obvious route for Infiniti was a hard push on private buyers of luxury cars and positioning themselves as the ‘Sporty’ alternative to that other Japanese luxury brand, Lexus.