Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur drew to a close with some 100,000 visitors and car fans visiting the three-day show held from 8-10 August at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC).
“From the big smiles, laughter, excitement and tremendous display of energy by visitors at the show, which was later reflected in thousands of social media postings depicting the good time they had meeting their tuning legends and seeing a line-up of extraordinary cars, the hard work we put in has more than paid off! The success of any show is not purely based on numbers, but even more importantly is the impression you leave on visitors and whether they are happy and satisfied. I would like to thank everyone who visited the show. Your continued support and shared passion are what fuels this show as we endeavor to make it bigger, better and more exciting every year,” said Jason Yap, the Chief Executive Officer of Element X Strategies, the Sole Official Licensee of Tokyo Auto Salon in Malaysia. The show is held in collaboration with San Ei Corporation as the owner of the Tokyo Auto Salon intellectual property, and the Tokyo Auto Salon Association.
“This was only the third year of the show being held outside of Japan and we are also honored to have the support of so many iconic and legendary Japanese tuners who not only came, but brought their world-famous builds and a diverse collection of merchandises for all their Malaysian fans.
“I would also like to thank and record my highest appreciation to all the exhibitors and participants of Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur. We believe in the same vision and I sincerely hope that together with the participation of more local companies in Malaysia and the region, Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur can also evolve to become not only a B to C (business to consumer) platform, but also B to B (business to business) platform.”
This year’s show also attracted the participation of Nissan; Goodyear Tyres; Castrol; EXN Lubricants; Liqui Moly; Utama Motors; Raxer Wheels; Dodson Motorsport (manufacturer of motorsports transmissions); Rimbunan Kuasa auto parts; Exedy Malaysia; United automotive professional tools; Go Pro; and local tuners and accessories players the likes of Vision Auto (HKS, Tom’s, AlphaRex, Monster Sport); RS Auto Accessories; Pandem; Street Garage; F Tuned Suspension; the House of Type R; Qartel; and many more.
While the show remains as a satellite show and only a fraction of the size of Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, Yap said the objective of Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur was never to replicate the original show but to create an identity unique to Malaysia.
“Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur will never be Tokyo Auto Salon Japan but we strive to retain the core qualities of the show, the vibe and what it represents to the world outside of Japan. Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur continues to infuse elements that will make the show uniquely Malaysian. This year we introduced several new elements which included a Mini TAS which is an area dedicated to die cast models and an area for Malaysia’s Finest Tuners to give Malaysian companies a platform to showcase their craftsmanship, new and existing products as well as capabilities.
“There is so much of talent and expertise in Malaysia and it is our hope that Malaysia Finest Tuners will grow into a stage for local companies to unveil their latest products and innovations moving forward. We’ve also retained unique elements such as the car auction which is envisioned to one day become the sought-after platform for a diverse collection of modified cars to exchange hands.”
Mini TAS turned out to become a definite hit with visitors – done in collaboration with The Model Car Show Malaysia (TMCS). Several limited edition models were launched during the show which included a Matte Frost Yellow Toyota Supra MK4 Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur special edition, the J’S Racing-Hyper Race Motorsports S2000 and Tomica’s collection of 1/64 cars specially for Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Luimpur 2025.
Meanwhile, merchandise booths set-up by visiting top Japanese tuners and local exhibitors also found themselves swarmed with customers from the very moment the doors to the hall opened at 10.00am daily.
Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur 2025 treated fans to a star-studded line-up of iconic Japanese tuners and companies who included:
- Father of the modern GT-R and Nissan Z Hiroshi Tamura
- Liberty Walk founder and owner Wataru Kato and his son Hyuma Kato
- Top Secret Japan legend Smokey Nagata
- J’S Racing President Hisaaki Murakami
- RE Amemiya’s Ken Amemiya
- Racing legend Max Orido and his daughter and Alpharex Ambassador Maya Orido
- Legendary drifter and Vertex founder Takahiro Ueno
- KUHL Racing founder Takahiro Kataoka
- ALESS president Takamasa Ueyama
- Trust/Greddy
- Veilside
- TOMEI
- RWB
The attendance of Japanese automotive legends and icons and the arrival of several iconic builds from Japan, certainly did not disappoint visitors to Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur 2025 as long queues formed outside the hall from as early as 7am.
Some of the legendary builds displayed at the show included:
- TOP SECRET JAPAN’s 1072 horsepower VR32 Stealth Nissan GT-R, the only one of its kind in the world built by Smokey Nagata.
- Liberty Walk’s world-famous Ferrari F40 that was displayed outside of Japan for the very first time
- TOP SECRET Thailand’s Toyota Supra
- TOP SECRET Thailand’s R34 GT-R
- Liberty Walk’s Super Silhouette ER34
- The Delusion GT-R R356C, a concept introduced by CREWCH
- RE Amemiya’s MATSUKIYO KIZAMI 3ROTAR NA-7
- RE Amemiya’s RX-7
- Veilside’s RX-7
- A Toyota Century by ALESS
- GREDDY/TRUST’s Toyota Soarer
- A Lexus LFA by Wing Hin Motorsports, one of only 500 in the world built
- J’S Racing-Hyper Race Motorsport’s S2000
- Aylezo’s Ginneta GT3 race car
- Aylezo’s Ginetta LMP2 Le Mans prototype sports car
- Aylezo’s Ferrai 360 Challenge
- Aylezo’s Caterham SP300R race car
- Aylezo’s V8-powered BMW E90 and GT86 drift cars
- Aylezo’s restomod Porsche 944 Turbo
The gathering of top tier modified cars at Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur 2025 was also made even more exciting with an auto styling competition judged by a special panel of Japanese tuners; the gathering of car clubs; and an area dedicated to displaying some of the rarest collection of cars in Malaysia.
Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur 2025 also featured special themed zones – Sakura Street & Midnight Tokyo; stage performances; Japan A Girls, a two-hour simulator endurance race by RaceRoom; a meet and greet with racing driver and AUTOBACS Ambassador Zen Low; Malaysian artist extraordinaire Zameer Pentbrush who performed a live demonstration powered by Castrol; and a lucky draw prize of a motorcycle sponsored by EXN Lubricants.
“We definitely have out work cutout for us to make the show in 2026 even more exciting.”
Ticket prices for Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur 2025 were priced as low as RM30 for children between the ages of 6-12 for a one-day pass and RM48 for a one-day pass for adults.
For more information and enquiries, visit www.tokyoautosalonkl.com or visit the Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram and Tik-Tok.
