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Pocket Bunny GT-R

The Tokyo Motor Show is always good for a few double takes. Between earnest production cars and sensible concepts, there’s inevitably something that looks like it escaped from an AI prompt that read “classic JDM legend, but make it tiny.” This year, that honor goes to a car that stops you mid-stride: a pint-size Nissan GT-R that absolutely is not a Nissan GT-R.

What you’re looking at is called the Pocket Bunny, and beneath its familiar scowl is a Suzuki Twin—a kei car last seen quietly minding its own business in the early 2000s. The transformation comes courtesy of the Rocket Bunny Pandem crew, working with designer Jun Takahashi and Saitama-based J Beat Custom Shop. The result is equal parts homage, parody, and love letter to one of Japan’s most revered performance cars: the R32 Skyline GT-R.

The Suzuki Twin, if you need a refresher, was never meant to stir emotions. Introduced in 2002, it was round, upright, and about as threatening as a toaster. But that blank-slate anonymity is exactly what makes it such a compelling canvas. Reimagined as the Pocket Bunny, the Twin sheds nearly all visual ties to its former self. Aside from the doors, windows, and roof, virtually every exterior panel has been redesigned, reshaped, or outright replaced.

The resemblance to the R32 is uncanny—and occasionally surreal. Pandem’s custom kit gives the car a shrunken Skyline face, complete with squared-off headlights and a hood that echoes the original GT-R’s muscular simplicity. The front and rear bumpers are bespoke, the fenders are widened just enough to sell the illusion, and the tailgate and rear wing mirror the Skyline’s greatest hits, scaled down to kei-car proportions. Even the taillights have been reworked to faithfully channel the four-circle GT-R signature.

Stand back a few paces and squint, and your brain fills in the blanks. This thing reads as a classic Nissan, just viewed through a funhouse mirror. It’s the automotive equivalent of seeing a perfectly accurate model train—your rational mind knows it’s small, but your emotions don’t care.

Pull closer and the craftsmanship becomes the story. This isn’t a bolt-on cosplay. According to the builders, installing the kit requires cutting into the original bodywork and sealing the inner fenders. Translation: this conversion is permanent. Once you commit to Pocket Bunny life, there’s no returning to stock Twin anonymity. That’s a bold move for a car that started out as transportation appliance, and it says a lot about the confidence behind the project.

The show car leans hard into the stance scene, riding on new alloy wheels and a dramatically lowered setup thanks to electromagnetic air suspension from Airmext Japan. Inside, subtlety is not invited. There’s a roll cage, bucket seats, a three-spoke steering wheel, and an extra infotainment screen—because why not? It’s part show car, part toy, and fully self-aware.

Performance, at least for now, remains pure kei car. The original 658cc three-cylinder engine carries over, producing a heroic 27 horsepower. Power goes to the front wheels through a five-speed manual, just as Suzuki intended. In stock form, the Twin was available with a hybrid option as well, though neither version was ever accused of being fast.

But that may change. Automotive photographer Larry Chen reports that the Pocket Bunny team has far bigger plans: a rotary engine swap and a conversion to rear-wheel drive. Yes, really. It’s an audacious idea that sounds either brilliant or completely unhinged, which means it’s perfectly on brand. If it happens, the Pocket Bunny would graduate from visual joke to genuine mechanical statement—and probably become terrifying in all the right ways.

As for the kit itself, the price lands at €3,622, not including paint or installation. At the time of writing, it’s officially sold out, though Pandem has promised more runs in the future. Given the attention this tiny GT-R magnet is pulling, that promise will be tested quickly.

The Pocket Bunny doesn’t make sense in the traditional automotive way. It’s not fast, it’s not practical, and it’s certainly not subtle. But it captures something essential about car culture: the joy of reinterpreting icons, the willingness to commit fully to an idea, and the understanding that sometimes the best builds exist simply because someone asked, “What if?”

In a hall full of serious machinery, this little kei car dares you not to smile. And that might be its greatest performance figure of all.

Source: Larry Chen

NEW CARS

Meet the Shangjie Z7: The Taycan Lookalike That Costs Less Than a Taycan’s Options List

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Porsche’s design studio should be feeling very appreciated right now. The latest electric sedan to draw unmistakable inspiration from the Taycan comes from China, wears the name Shangjie Z7, and—if early reports are accurate—costs about as much as a lightly optioned German compact car.

Shangjie has begun rolling out official images and teasers of its upcoming Z7 sedan, and the resemblance to Porsche’s electric four-door isn’t subtle. From the sweeping roofline to the muscular rear haunches, the Z7’s silhouette reads like a Taycan that’s been run through a “slightly different, legally distinct” filter. It’s not a photocopy, but it’s close enough that you’d do a double take at a stoplight.

The headlights, to be fair, go their own way. They don’t mimic Porsche’s signature four-point motif, and that alone may be enough to keep the lawyers at bay. But step back a few meters and squint, and the overall effect is clear: this car wants to tap into the Taycan’s visual gravitas without asking Taycan money.

And that’s the real hook. Chinese media report that the Z7 is aimed squarely at younger buyers, with a rumored starting price under 200,000 yuan—roughly €24,600. For context, the actual Porsche Taycan starts at around 918,000 yuan in China, or about €113,000. That’s not a gap; that’s a canyon.

The Z7 is being developed by HIMA—short for Harmony Intelligence Mobility Alliance—and will be sold under SAIC’s Shangjie brand. HIMA is essentially Huawei’s automotive brain trust, bringing together several Chinese automakers including Seres, Chery, BAIC, JAC, and SAIC. Vehicles born under this alliance already wear names like Aito, Luxeed, Stelato, and Maextro, and the common thread is heavy integration of Huawei’s software, connectivity, and driver-assistance tech.

Design-wise, HIMA hasn’t exactly been shy with the Z7. A dark teaser image practically traces the Taycan’s side profile with a highlighter: coupe-like roof, flush door handles, and pronounced rear fenders that look ready to house a wide set of tires. Even the shape of the doors themselves feels eerily familiar. Around back, the rear glass and full-width light bar lean so heavily on Porsche’s playbook that the word “homage” starts to feel generous.

Up front, though, the Z7 does carve out some identity. Beyond the different headlight design, there’s a prominent LiDAR unit mounted above the windshield—a clear signal that advanced driver-assistance systems, and possibly hands-off driving features, are a priority. That’s a reminder that while the Z7 may borrow its look from Stuttgart, its soul is firmly rooted in China’s tech-forward EV ecosystem.

Things get even more interesting when you factor in reports of a wagon variant. Chinese outlet Autohome has snapped spy photos of what appears to be a Z7 estate, heavily camouflaged but unmistakable in its proportions. The long roof, sloping rear, and overall stance draw obvious parallels to the Taycan Sport Turismo. Porsche’s electric wagon is a niche favorite among enthusiasts; seeing a budget-friendly Chinese interpretation could make it far more mainstream—at least in its home market.

As for what’s under the skin, HIMA is keeping quiet. No specifications have been released, leaving open questions about performance, range, and drivetrain options. The Z7 could slot in as a direct rival to Xiaomi’s SU7, another Taycan-adjacent electric sedan that has already made waves. The SU7 starts at 215,900 yuan (about €26,500), and early versions boast serious performance credentials. If the Z7 lands in the same neighborhood, it could turn the segment into a full-blown price war.

One thing is certain: whatever numbers eventually appear on the spec sheet, the Z7 will undercut Porsche by a massive margin. It’s offering the Taycan’s sleek, low-slung aesthetic at a price that makes Western buyers do a double take—and maybe a little math to see how many Taycan options you’d have to delete to get close.

Whether the Z7 ends up being a genuine driver’s car or simply a compelling visual facsimile remains to be seen. But as China’s EV industry continues to blur the line between inspiration and imitation, one thing is clear: Porsche’s design language has become a global template—and not everyone is charging six figures for it.

Source: Car News China

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Audi E5 Sportback is 2026 China Car of the Year – and It’s More Than a Trophy Run

Audi just pulled off something that usually takes a decade, not a debut model: winning China Car of the Year. The winner is the AUDI E5 Sportback, the first product from Audi’s newly established China-focused sub-brand—and a signal flare that Ingolstadt’s rethink of how to compete in the world’s most cutthroat EV market is actually working.

Awards are easy to dismiss as marketing confetti, but this one matters. China Car of the Year is judged by industry journalists who live and breathe a market where software updates matter as much as suspension tuning and where domestic EV brands iterate at Silicon Valley speed. For a brand-new nameplate to take the top prize just a year after launch suggests the E5 Sportback isn’t merely competent—it’s culturally fluent.

At the core of the E5’s appeal is a deliberate duality. Audi calls it “the best of both worlds,” which sounds like brochure-speak until you look closer. The E5 Sportback blends Audi’s traditional strengths—chassis tuning, build quality, safety engineering—with deep integration into China’s digital ecosystem. This isn’t a German car awkwardly translated for a Chinese audience. It’s a vehicle conceived with the market’s expectations baked in from the start.

The result is a fully electric four-door fastback that looks purposeful without being ornamental. The proportions are clean and athletic, the stance confident, and the design language clearly premium without resorting to excess visual noise. In a segment where some EVs feel designed by committee—or by algorithm—the E5 Sportback comes across as intentional.

Performance is where Audi’s fingerprints are unmistakable. Depending on configuration, the E5 delivers up to 579 kW, with a claimed 0–100 km/h sprint as quick as 3.4 seconds. That’s squarely in performance-sedan territory, but numbers alone don’t explain why the car has been collecting accolades like Best Handling Sedan of the Year and Intelligent Premium Sedan of the Year since its debut.

Those honors point to something more nuanced: how the E5 drives. Audi has long traded on its reputation for predictable, confidence-inspiring dynamics, and the E5 carries that DNA into the electric era. Available with rear-wheel drive or quattro all-wheel drive, it promises precise handling rather than just brute-force acceleration. In a market flooded with EVs that prioritize straight-line speed over driver engagement, that matters.

Range anxiety, at least on paper, shouldn’t be an issue. The E5 Sportback claims a maximum range of up to 770 kilometers, positioning it comfortably among the long-distance contenders in China’s premium EV class. More important than the number itself is how it’s supported: the E5 is built on Audi’s new Advanced Digitized Platform (ADP), which underpins its connected features and enables full over-the-air updates. In China, where consumers expect their cars to evolve like smartphones, that capability isn’t optional—it’s table stakes.

Inside, the E5 leans into calm rather than spectacle. Audi emphasizes material quality and a serene cabin environment, a welcome counterpoint to the sensory overload common in some high-tech interiors. The digital experience is designed to integrate seamlessly with local platforms and services, reflecting a clear understanding that premium today means frictionless connectivity as much as leather and aluminum.

Safety, too, is treated as a baseline rather than a selling point. Advanced driver-assistance systems come standard across the range, reinforcing Audi’s long-standing position that safety shouldn’t be an upsell. In a market where innovation sometimes outpaces regulation, that conservative rigor can actually be a differentiator.

Audi’s leadership is understandably bullish. CEO Gernot Döllner frames the award as validation of a two-brand strategy and deep local integration, while Fermín Soneira, head of the Audi–SAIC cooperation project, points to the E5 as a direct response to a new generation of Chinese buyers—customers who want Audi’s driving dynamics and safety, but also demand digital experiences tailored to their daily lives.

Strip away the press quotes, and the bigger story comes into focus: Audi isn’t trying to out-China China. Instead, it’s selectively adapting—keeping what it does best while partnering and localizing where it counts. The E5 Sportback is the first proof point of that strategy, and China Car of the Year suggests it landed.

Whether the E5 Sportback’s success can translate beyond China is another question, but for now, that’s beside the point. In the world’s most competitive EV market, Audi didn’t just show up—it won. And for a brand navigating the transition from combustion heritage to electric future, that’s not just a trophy. It’s momentum.

Source: Audi

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