GREEN IS FOR GRASS.(environmental aspects of BMW AG and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.)

Byline: Dutch Mandel, Roger Hart, Bob Gritzinger, Dale Jewett, Jonathan Wong, Dino Dalle Carbonare

Tokyo `go' cars thumb their collective noses at environmental consciousness

When automakers strayed from the earth-friendly theme at Tokyo, the results were show-stopping, even if most-such as the Nissan GT-R, our Best in Show winner-were well documented before their official unveilings. Here's a sampling of the other hot metal we spied at the Makuhari Messe.

BMW ignored the prevailing trend toward environmental consciousness at this year's Tokyo show, unveiling an exciting new motorsport-inspired version of its 1 Series coupe wearing the evocative tii badge-nomenclature first used on the German car-maker's iconic 2002.

Billed as a concept, the racy 1 Series tii two-door is rumored to provide a glimpse of a sporty 1 Series coupe model planned for the near future. Pressed for details, BMW officials were typically cagey, suggesting only that the new car, which boasts a carbon-fiber hood among other lightweight elements, did have some production-car relevance. Exactly what relevance, though, remained under wraps.

Such was the secrecy surrounding the 1 Series tii concept that BMW even held back on nominating an engine for it. Our sources say there are plans to fit the new car with a 170-hp version of BMW's 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, the same powerplant used in the European-market 320iS, possibly mated to a new double-clutch gearbox that will appear first on the 2008 M3.

Speaking of the M3, BMW chose Tokyo to reveal a sedan version of its upcoming 3 Series performance model, featuring the same 4.0-liter, 414-hp, 300-lb-ft V8 engine as the M3 coupe. The car loses about 0.1 second in the 0-to-60-mph sprint but gains the practicality of two extra doors and more trunk space.