IT IS ironical that the Europeans have picked the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, which started yesterday and goes on till Nov 11, to unveil some of their most interesting cars.

Sure, the ballistic Nissan GTR is undoubtedly the star of the show. Not only does its specification sheet - which boasts such tasty nuggets as 473bhp from a 3.8-litre V6 and an all-new dual-clutch DSG-style gearbox - it is a stunning car to behold.

Of course there are the outlandishly kooky concepts, with the Honda Puyo taking the cake. It can twirl 360 degrees like an office chair and has a body made of a soft gel that can actually be pinched like a human posterior.

But the most noteworthy debuts are from Germany - unusual especially so soon after last month's Frankfurt mega show.

BMW and Audi showcased their latest small car concepts. Maybe it has to do with Japan's penchant for compactness (capsule hotels, K-cars), or perhaps it has to do with the price of oil now.

Above: Daihatsu's OFC

Whatever the reason, the two are fiery and passionate re-inventions that hark back to the origins of the two marques.

Fuelling the popular belief that the 1-series is the spiritual successor to the 2002 made between the late 1960s and the early 1970s, BMW has brought out the Concept 1-series tii. There are no details on the power plant under its carbon fibre bonnet, but BMW promises that the tii is lighter and more focused than anything it has built recently.

Audi's debutante is called the Metroproject Quattro now, but we can safely call it the A1. The car marks Audi's return to the compact car segment after its expensive and failed foray called the A2 (which was Audi's idea of the Mercedes A-class).

Unlike the A2, which anchored itself around aluminium technology and sensible packaging, the Metroproject is about having a blast.

Even though Audi makes no such references, the Metroproject's striking hue and storky rear design look like a modern interpretation of the rear-engined NSU TT that raced in the late 1960s. NSU was a motorcycle manufacturer which later built cars. It was one of the brands that formed Audi.

Incidentally, the Metroproject also has a drivetrain at the back, like the classic TT. Rather radically, it is an electric motor. This supplements a direct-injection 1.4-litre turbocharged engine in front. This makes the car an electric four-wheel-drive hybrid, like the Lexus RX400h.

The 125bhp petrol engine, first seen at the Frankfurt show last month in the A3, has been tweaked to make 150bhp. It is paired with a six-speed S-tronic Direct Shift gearbox.

The concept is much smaller than the A3, with a wheelbase that is some 118mm shorter than the hatchback. So even if the eventual A1 does not have the electric motor, it should still be a blast.

As for the A3, two separate sources within Audi have confirmed that plans are underway to roll out a convertible version of the premium hatchback next year.

With sunny skies and absolutely groovy little sports cars on the way, what we need next are disco lights and a skating rink.

The writer is Editor of Torque, a monthly published by SPH Magazines