After a year of cute cars, 2003 promises more power, pace and raw sex appeal.

Tokyo January 2003; Justin Gardiner writing for Japan Today peers into his crystal ball.

Winter Mitsubishi answers Subaru's newly facelifted and tweaked Impreza WRC STi with their rally-bred Lancer Evolution VIII. Capped at a maximum power output of 280hp, the Lancer, set to be unleashed later this month, has had its torque upped to a flat 40kgm, a mere smidgen behind the Impreza's 40.2. Unfortunately, the minor styling changes still leave the car reminiscent of Darth Vader's Imperial transport, and Mitsubishi has given it a price tag a quarter of a million yen higher than its rival, at ¥3.2 million.

Honda's first real attempt at a sports sedan to rival these masters, the ¥2.5 million Accord Euro R, debuts at showrooms this month alongside the new-look, pop-up-headlight-free NSX Type R, which sets F1 wannabes back the better part of ¥10 million. At half the price of a Ferrari with similar performance, the car represents good value for the money.

Spring The last RXN7 rolled off Mazda's production line in August,

Mazda RX8 Hot For 2003

but the all-new RXN8, set to appear in April, fills the void. Retaining the extraordinary rotary engine, the "Eight" (as it will doubtlessly be dubbed on the street) gains another unique feature: rear-hinged back "doors." Designed to open only when the front doors are already agape, the panels help passengers cram themselves into the rear seats. Engine-wise, Mazda will no doubt claim that the RX-7's 20-year-old, 1.3-liter Wankel power plant has been "reborn," as they've dubbed the new 250hp engine "RENESIS." The Ford subsidiary will also introduce a new motor for their bestselling Roadster in late March. Perhaps worried that they're lacking TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms), the newly formed MPS (Mazda Performance Service) has forced a turbo onto the convertible's standard 1.8-liter engine, bringing it up to a very respectable 200hp ahead of the car's major redesign, expected in 2004.

Summer What would summer be without a new convertible? Nissan is doing the honors this year, launching a drop-top version of the already sexy Fairlady Z.

Nissan 350Z Convert

Utilizing the same 3.5-liter V6 engine as the coupe, the new car has plenty of power on tap, but how the Z's stiffness, and thus handling, reacts to the lack of roof remains to be seen. The same V6 will find its way into the first two-door version of the new Skyline, also due out in June. The GT Coupe's brutal look gives a strong hint of the monster that lurks in the wings-the next Skyline GT-R, which, sadly, will not emerge until 2004. Also in June, the aging Subaru Legacy will receive a much needed facelift, as will Honda's Integra Type R, which has only been around in its current guise since June 2001. The Integra's normally aspirated four-banger will be good for over 220PS at a heady 8,000rpm.

The same month, Toyota will put the Caldina GT-Four station wagon's trunk under the knife, making the till now beautifully streamlined design less attractive and less functional. In July, Japan's largest automaker will transplant the Celica's new 190hp engine into the currently underpowered MR-S, giving the power-to-weight ratio a 30 percent boost. This will not put the MR-S into Lotus Elise territory in terms of speed or price, but it should let the frog-eyed ragtop hold its own against Roadsters and MGs rather better.

Autumn New variations on popular convertibles are set to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show, held from October 24 to November 5 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. First, the Honda S2000 gains a hard top, though who would buy such a coupe when the soft top has such a well-fitting roof is a mystery, and-at last-a glass rear window, is a mystery. The current S2000's ride and road-holding are already so good that it's hard to imagine a sealed shell making any improvement.

Following a very warm reception at the Birmingham Motor Show late last year, Daihatsu UK has stated that they "are moving heaven and earth to find a way to bring the Copen in [to Great Britain]." Some Copens are already undergoing crash and emissions tests there, but wouldn't Daihatsu be better off waiting until they can fit the cars with the new 1300cc motor, due out in October, rather than rushing 1,000 of the K-car types into the country, as is rumored?

If the Skyline GT-R remains under wraps throughout the year, the allNnew Toyota Supra is likely to be the star of the show. Featuring specs that are remarkably similar to the Fairlady Z and Skyline GT, the Supra will have far bolder styling, not unNreminiscent of the old AMC Javelin.

Winter Finally, next November, Subaru releases an even more highly tuned version of the Impreza for 2004, and Toyota puts a new range of larger engines, including a whopping 4.5-liter V8, under the hood of their similarly sized, not to mention named, Altezza. Given that Mitsubishi has announced that there will be no further evolutions of the Lancer after this month, one can only guess what their reply will be in 2004.