ASI and Tommy Kaira present this massive Toyota Prius. It’s a good thing Japanese tuning is so green.
The buzz is on eco-friendly cars. Each manufacturer has one, or is planning to produce one. Toyota, with its Prius hybrid, is a leader in this field. Only a few respected tuners have so far adopted the green thing, unless they’re based in Japan, where the government almost forces tuners to work with “green” cars.
What else can you explain the activity that is coming from environmentally-friendly garages all over the country? Tommi Kaira created this Prius. It has low front lips and large front air dams that look like an Audi R8, wide rims, side skirts, and a new rear bumper. It is missing the Prius logo and the usual discretion that is attached to the car. The most striking feature is the four tailpipes, which in no way suggest that they are “green”. They actually have the opposite effect on your eyes.
The GT-R and Impreza STI cars are great for body and power upgrades. Their fans love them because they are expected to pollute the planet and the eardrums. Prius and Honda Insight have very different statements.
Although eco-tuning is certain to have a future, no one knows what that future looks like. This is why cars such as this one might be scrapped in current tuning circles. Ben Schaffer, the owner of Bespoke Ventures, is one such tuner. His company is a major American/international parts distributor and marketer for top Japanese tuning brands (KenStyle, Top Secret). Schaffer believes that eco is a good thing, but not in the world of R35 GT-R powerhouses. Moderation is better than jumping on the bandwagon. He reminds his fellow competitors/colleagues not to lose sight of their core business and enthusiasm which is sports cars.