Tommy Kaira hybrids

Japanese car tuning and manufacturing firm Tommy Kaira have now turned their attention to hybrids, it seems, in a break from their normal line of hot Nissans. In contrast to the wild GT-Rs, Skylines and Z-cars that usually benefit from Tommy Kaira's body and engine upgrades, the Toyota Prius 3 and Honda Insight might seem a little tame, but the big wheels, beefy exhausts and squat stance used rather suits the shape of each car - especially the Insight.

Of course, one has to question the motive for performance tuning on hybrids. When manufacturers have spent so long perfecting aerodynamic shapes in wind tunnels and choosing low-rolling resistance wheels and tyres, it seems nonsensical to take several steps back by increasing drag and resistance with kits like these.

You also have to wonder who'd actually buy the kits. I certainly can't see them being popular with the Ecomodding crowd, and many car "enthusiasts" seem to take a dim view of hybrids, expecting they'll spell doom and gloom for performance motoring, so there doesn't seem to be an obvious market there earlier.

But of course, the main market is in Tommy Kaira's native Japan, where customers aren't beyond tuning tiny Kei cars, let alone relatively powerful hybrids. Perhaps there, where aerodynamics have little effect in inner-city traffic, the draw of a tuned hybrid is much greater.

And of course, a belated happy New Year to all Tarmac's readers. Best wishes for 2010!