The Japanese car market was a rather silent and mysterious one to the West until the 70s. During this time, a plethora of Japanese cars started flooding the American market, creating a new niche and taking over significant market share over segments previously dominated by American powerhouses.
Of course, no American manufacturer took this onslaught seated. An automotive war was unleashed. And just like any other highly competitive environment, that’s when amazing productions were made. And for the Japanese side, the last decade has been busy, exciting, and unforgiving to companies that haven’t produced top-of-the-class marques.
That’s where these 10 cars fall in. Their birth was out of fierce rivalry. And their amazing character was thanks to the hard work the men and women from the East put in. That’s why they are the most beautiful we’ve seen from Japan over the decade.
10 2020 Nissan Nismo GT-R
The Nissan GTR was not nicknamed Godzilla out of fun. This track-ripping machine has a long history of butchering rivals on the race track while still maintaining a rather civilized and not too aggressive look. That has been somewhat carried forward by the 2020 Nissan Nismo GT-R.
The Nismo variant of the Nissan GT-R is the full-blown track-ripping variant of the marque. The Nismo GT-R has been developed by Nissan’s high-performance division. It has improvements to the brakes, original suspension setup, and stability. Power has also been improved to about 591hp, making it one of the most aggressive Nissan GTRs ever built.
9 2016 Lexus LC500
If you’re looking for aggressive styling, then the 2016 Lexus LC500 might be the Japanese beauty you are looking for. The LC500’s body style is characterized by sleek rakish lines and sharp angles which make it look stunning.
The LC500 is built to be a luxury GT cruiser. You also have the option of choosing between a power-hungry naturally aspirated V8 or a hybrid V6 engine. Fast forward to 2020, and Lexus promised a convertible version of the LC500 just to spice things up in the lineup.
8 2017 Honda Civic Type R
The Honda Civic was a big name outside America. Then, 20 years and 5 generations passed, after which Americans finally got a taste of this Japanese monster. But then, Americans had little regret. With this big unveiling, Honda produced the most capable and sexiest Civic Type R ever built.
The styling was perfect. The 2017 Civic Type R looked aggressive and sporty with a huge rear wing and a massive rear diffuser. Its performance matched those looks, surprisingly from an inline-four that could rev from hell and back.
7 2019 Toyota Supra MKV
The Toyota Supra is a gearhead legend. Apart from featuring in The Fast and The Furious, Need for Speed franchise, and other motor racing events, the Supra inspired a petrolhead aftermarket culture that is still alive to date. That’s why the 2019 Toyota Supra MKV was a big deal.
When it was launched, many gearheads argued that the Supra MKV fulfilled most expectations. Yes, there are a few hiccups with the overall build. However, no other car would have succeeded the revered MKIV like this one.
6 2012 Lexus LFA
The product of a rampaging V10 and Japanese styling is this machine, the 2012 Lexus LFA. A certified supercar, the 2012 Lexus LFA goes for a jaw-dropping $500,000 today, with the limited-edition Nurburgring variants going for well over a million dollars.
The first special thing about this car is that beautifully sounding V10. Arguably one of the best-sounding V10s ever put in a supercar, the Lexus LFA matches this noise with a neck-breaking performance that puts the LFA at the top of the supercar pedestal. This amazing production was thanks to almost a decade of work that was put into the research and development of this car.
5 2019 Nissan Maxima
This machine was not built to shred rubber like the Nissan GT-R or Lexus LFA. Rather, it was designed to be a civilized, luxury, full-size sedan that would rival big names from Japan. And that is exactly what Maxima did.
The first striking update with the 2019 Nissan Maxima was the new styling. It had an updated LED headlamps, a more pronounced grille, revised LED tail lamps, new chrome detailing on the front bumper, and larger fog lamp surrounds. That was integrated with the plethora of new luxury and tech features that made the Maxima a desirable full-size sedan in a market where full-size luxury sedans were being phased out.
4 2019 Infiniti Q50
The 2019 Infiniti Q50 is one of the best sports sedans you can get from Japan today. Not only is the Q50 sexy but also boasts one of the best performance figures in the segment. That performance is dished out in trims, starting from the mild 2.0L 208hp option to the wilder 3.0L 400hp V6 with all-wheel drive.
Inside the cabin, the Q50’s styling is reminiscent of a BMW or Audi. Plus, the 2019 Q50 is more geared towards younger buyers who want a posh driving experience with the madness of a sports machine.
3 2019 Mazda6 Signature
Mazda has been a major player in the industry for a long while. So, instead of finding a new name for their line of luxury cars, they decided to create the “Mazda Premium” lineup, a part of which the 2019 Mazda6 Signature belongs.
The Mazda6 Signature is an impeccable machine. It boasts of intricate details like open-grain wood and hand-stitched leather in the interior, which puts it on a high pedestal as far as Japanese luxury cars are concerned. What’s more striking with the Mazda6 Signature is that the company manages to build all this luxury for a price more economical than what you’d get in the market.
2 2019 Acura TLX
The 2019 Acura TLX competes in the luxury mid-size sedan segment. And it deserves to be in this hot segment. Just like the Infiniti Q50, the 2019 Acura TLX also comes in various trims that offer different performance packages. You can either get the TLX with a 206hp four-cylinder engine or a harder charging 3.5L V6 with 290hp.
The V6 TLX also comes with Acura’s Super Handling AWD System, with both trims having the option of the sporty A-Spec package. You can also get the interior in either black Alcantara upholstery or sexy red leather.
1 2020 Nissan 370Z
The Nissan 370Z is one of the most revered coupe sports cars from Japan. For almost 52 years, this car has redefined performance in the coupe sports car segment, making it a name almost as big as the Godzilla.
For 2020, the Nissan 370Z was celebrating its 50th Anniversary. And nothing much stylistically was going to change. Matter of fact, much of 2019 styling was carried into the 2020 year. But that doesn’t mean the 2020 Nissan 370Z isn’t sexy. The 50th Anniversary Edition package, in particular, comes with a stripe in one of two colors plus 19-inch Rays wheels with unique batches that make the car look breathtaking.