Don't let the Nissan 350Z snout and the Infiniti G35 Coupe (JDM Nissan Skyline V35) rear end design fool you; the glitzy painted roadster model you're gawking at is in fact a JDM Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider - possibly a third generation model. But before you try to digest all that info let us quickly add that Paint Star's Tokyo Auto Salon project car also hides a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine under its 350Z-shaped hood. See the rest of the photos in our image gallery after the break.

It's been a long time in the making but we're finally going to get our first glimpse of Subaru's version of the Toyota FT-86 RWD Coupe, which is a joint project from the two companies, at the upcoming Geneva Salon in March. The somewhat blandly named “Subaru Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept” will share the spotlight with the Impreza Concept (pictured above) and the Trezio mini MPV, both of which will receive their European premiere at the Swiss motorshow.

Despite rumors suggesting that Subaru may present an all-wheel drive version of the coupe project, the Japanese carmaker is keeping the rear-wheel drive setup, at least for now.

Not surprisingly, the Subaru coupe will be powered by a boxer engine, possibly the same four-cylinder unit lent to Toyota for the FT-86. Subaru did not release any photos nor any additional information on the Coupe concept model.

As for the company's two European premieres, the Impreza Concept was first shown in LA last November and previews a new design direction for the production model, while the Trezio is a re-badged version of the Toyota Verso-S mini MPV, which will be offered in Europe with a 1.3-liter gasoline and 1.4-liter turbo diesel engines.

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It’s not been a good year for Japan. China has recently overtaken the Land of the Rising Sun as the world’s second biggest economic power and a recall of over ten million vehicles by one of the nation’s biggest and most respectable companies, Toyota, kicked off a global PR debacle that some analysts predict will take years to recover from.

Add to that Japan’s aging population, its growing national debt and heavy reliance on manufacturing, all of which are effectively killing what was once thought destined to be the world’s leading economic superpower. The departure of its fourth Prime Minister in three years and a nasty diplomatic row with China over the detention of a trawler captain by the Japanese Coast Guard is also hurting.

What’s worse is that Japan’s population is dwindling due to a low fertility rate of just 1.3 children per woman. It is expected that the population will drop from 127 million to just 90 million by 2055, with 40% of that number being over 65s.

As the nation enters its third decade of economic stagnation, university students worry whether they can find steady employment or support their families. A third of Japan’s workforce is temporary workers or “Freeters” that flit from one available job to another. Such workers are unable to qualify for unemployment benefits, and make up more than three-quarters of the nation’s jobless. In these dark times, it’s no wonder -and a sad fact- that more than 30,000 people a year have committed suicides since 1998.

Japan’s Prime Minister, Nato Kan, is aware of the burgeoning crisis. His solution is to open up the country; reducing trade barriers and tariffs and loosening regulations to make the country a more attractive proposition to outside investors. A free trade agreement with the U.S. and other nations, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, is also under consideration. Though it could lead to Japan’s economic revival and cheaper imports, it could also cause significant job losses and social dislocation of the rural classes.

Analysts are convinced that the nation needs to find new growth areas such as green energy, software engineering and health care to help prop up the failing economy. More so, however, Japan needs to change its national mindset. Perceived to be rooted in conformism and census, it is seen by some to be too insular and too slow to change and respond to crisis. Without change, Japan has little hope of a short term recovery.

Of course, this is just one opinion. As always, our readers are encouraged to voice theirs in the comments.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: AP via Yahoo

Destined only for the Japanese market, the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI tS is the latest addition to the performance sedan's range. The highlight of the car is the new lightweight carbon fiber rooftop, but to sweeten the deal, Subaru's STI division also added some more goodies such as a lighter aluminum hood, a front lip spoiler, mutlispoke 18-inch alloy wheels, a rather discrete boot lid spoiler and a sportier tuned suspension. The body-hugging Recaro sport seats, upgraded trim and custom sill plates round off the tS package.

The Impreza WRX STI tS is motivated by a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine with 308-horsepower and is available with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed automatic transmission in A-Line spec. The company plans to keep production limited to 400 units with prices in Japan starting from 4,020,000 Yen or about US$48,100 / €36,700.

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