Mitsuoka
Historical informative treasury on Mitsuoka cars with models and company evoltion review.
MITSUOKA
Mitsuoka is a company enjoying reputation of the most original and extravagant among Japanese car enterprises, and its also one with the shortest history. Its founder, Susumu Mitsuoka got employed at Hino Motors Company right after completing a technical college. However he didnt like that job, thats why in 1968 he left that company. That very year Mitsuoka rented empty horse stables in Toyama prefecture and arranged there a workshop repairing and making pre-sale preparations of cars.
At that point the history of Mitsuoka Company started; at that time it only had 3 workers in addition to its founder. For the first several months the business didnt go well, but in a year it took a turn to the better and in several years the company developed an effective network of 20 offices all across Japan.
After energetic crises resulting in a sudden increase of fuel prices in Japan Mitsuoka started importing 1-seater mini-cars with engines of some 50 cc volume. For driving them no diving licenses were required, because according to the local laws they were just like scooters.
Since Mitsuoka Motors started producing mini-cars of their own construction. They were nicknamed Bubu Shuttle and targeted primarily physically handicapped people. During next several years the model row was extended by new models until Mitsuoka decided to start producing full-sized cars.
For realizing this old dream of his Mitsuoka went to USA and studied elaborately the principles of functioning of smaller car enterprises producing so-called replics, the copies of old car models. Using the experience he obtained he started releasing replics on a plant in Toyama prefecture. They set glass-fiber bodies replicating the features of prestigious famous cars of the past Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Daimler models.
The release was limited, only several hundred units of each model were produced; the demand for them was guaranteed. In May 1990 Mitsuoka released an original Le-Seyde model; its 500-unit issue was sold out in 4 days. In 1991 another original model was released, named Dore; in 1993 Viewt model.
The legendary Jaguar Mark II 1956 served as the basis for construction of Viewt; during the first year of its production 1000 units were sold, and thats basically quite an impressive number for a retro-car. Vewt was equipped with 1000 cc or 1400 cc of 60 or 85 hp output and an automatic gearbox; all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive configurations were available. Its price was just fair, around 20,000 USD.
In 1994 Mitsuoka constructed Zero 1 model. He was trying to design a car of traditional Japanese spirit; and the sales rates indicated that he managed to do that. Thanks to Mazda motor of 1800 cc volume and 130 hp power capacity and glass fiber body Zero 1 made up to 160 km/h.
That very 1994 Mitsuoka Motors got a certificate from the Ministry of Transport of Japan that permitted them releasing cars of their own construction, so Mitsuoka became the tenth Japanese car enterprise. That was a real boom for mass media.
Soon after that Mitsuoka started extending the model range, and that was certainly a daring step for a company specialized in production of replics. That led to extension of number of personnel. In 1996 such new models as Galue, Classic Type F and Ray appeared. In 1997 the company got MITI designer award; in 1998 Ryoga model was released. It was considered the successor of Veiwt and was also Jaguar-styled, only it had the body of Jaguar of 60ies. Ryoga was more powerful than Viewt, making 105 horsepower and was looking more harmonically because of optimally designed proportions.
At the same time Mitsuoka kept on producing super-mini cars; that very 1998 MC-1 and K-1/K-2 were released. MC-1 was an electrocar equipped with a 5 hp motor powered by 72-Volt accumulator. It was remarkably easy to use; 1 charge moved it over 50 km on the speed of 60km/h.
Despite of its cost of around $3900 it enjoyed wide popularity. K-1 and K-2 were basically kit-cars, original kits the customers could assemble into vehicles. These models were a real breakthrough in car construction. In 1999 Mitsuoka decided to achieve a new level; his new model Galue II could be considered a representative car, combining all features of expensive UK cars of the middle of XX and an impressively powerful engine of 240 hp output.
In 2000 another model was released, titled Yuga. Mitsuoka became an official distributor of London Taxi, so Yuga resembled classical Austin Taxi Cab. Besides Yuga were sold in normal edition, without taxi attributes. Another car added to the model range that year was new Le-Seyde, longer than 5 meters, equipped with a 160 hp engine.
However another car was considered sensation of 2001; that was Mitsuoka Orochi demonstrated on a Tokyo car show, a middle-engine coupe car with fantastic design, a real glimpse into future. Orochi was created as a super-car with a special design, a real dream car, better than any other car. The company was encouraged because for the first time they set an aim they managed to realize.
Nevertheless at present Mitsuoka is still a small company with only 419 employees; its plant produces only several cars per day. There you wouldnt notice the usual production lines with welding robots, since assemblage is mostly manual.
In 2001 they opened a special Mitsuoka demonstration hall in Yokohama. Besides there are some offices of Mitsuoka in Hong-Kong, Malaysia and Brunei. Susumu Mitsuokas philosophy of constructing unique original cars worked out that was indicated by its commercial success.
At that point the history of Mitsuoka Company started; at that time it only had 3 workers in addition to its founder. For the first several months the business didnt go well, but in a year it took a turn to the better and in several years the company developed an effective network of 20 offices all across Japan.
After energetic crises resulting in a sudden increase of fuel prices in Japan Mitsuoka started importing 1-seater mini-cars with engines of some 50 cc volume. For driving them no diving licenses were required, because according to the local laws they were just like scooters.
Since Mitsuoka Motors started producing mini-cars of their own construction. They were nicknamed Bubu Shuttle and targeted primarily physically handicapped people. During next several years the model row was extended by new models until Mitsuoka decided to start producing full-sized cars.
For realizing this old dream of his Mitsuoka went to USA and studied elaborately the principles of functioning of smaller car enterprises producing so-called replics, the copies of old car models. Using the experience he obtained he started releasing replics on a plant in Toyama prefecture. They set glass-fiber bodies replicating the features of prestigious famous cars of the past Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Daimler models.
The release was limited, only several hundred units of each model were produced; the demand for them was guaranteed. In May 1990 Mitsuoka released an original Le-Seyde model; its 500-unit issue was sold out in 4 days. In 1991 another original model was released, named Dore; in 1993 Viewt model.
The legendary Jaguar Mark II 1956 served as the basis for construction of Viewt; during the first year of its production 1000 units were sold, and thats basically quite an impressive number for a retro-car. Vewt was equipped with 1000 cc or 1400 cc of 60 or 85 hp output and an automatic gearbox; all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive configurations were available. Its price was just fair, around 20,000 USD.
In 1994 Mitsuoka constructed Zero 1 model. He was trying to design a car of traditional Japanese spirit; and the sales rates indicated that he managed to do that. Thanks to Mazda motor of 1800 cc volume and 130 hp power capacity and glass fiber body Zero 1 made up to 160 km/h.
That very 1994 Mitsuoka Motors got a certificate from the Ministry of Transport of Japan that permitted them releasing cars of their own construction, so Mitsuoka became the tenth Japanese car enterprise. That was a real boom for mass media.
Soon after that Mitsuoka started extending the model range, and that was certainly a daring step for a company specialized in production of replics. That led to extension of number of personnel. In 1996 such new models as Galue, Classic Type F and Ray appeared. In 1997 the company got MITI designer award; in 1998 Ryoga model was released. It was considered the successor of Veiwt and was also Jaguar-styled, only it had the body of Jaguar of 60ies. Ryoga was more powerful than Viewt, making 105 horsepower and was looking more harmonically because of optimally designed proportions.
At the same time Mitsuoka kept on producing super-mini cars; that very 1998 MC-1 and K-1/K-2 were released. MC-1 was an electrocar equipped with a 5 hp motor powered by 72-Volt accumulator. It was remarkably easy to use; 1 charge moved it over 50 km on the speed of 60km/h.
Despite of its cost of around $3900 it enjoyed wide popularity. K-1 and K-2 were basically kit-cars, original kits the customers could assemble into vehicles. These models were a real breakthrough in car construction. In 1999 Mitsuoka decided to achieve a new level; his new model Galue II could be considered a representative car, combining all features of expensive UK cars of the middle of XX and an impressively powerful engine of 240 hp output.
In 2000 another model was released, titled Yuga. Mitsuoka became an official distributor of London Taxi, so Yuga resembled classical Austin Taxi Cab. Besides Yuga were sold in normal edition, without taxi attributes. Another car added to the model range that year was new Le-Seyde, longer than 5 meters, equipped with a 160 hp engine.
However another car was considered sensation of 2001; that was Mitsuoka Orochi demonstrated on a Tokyo car show, a middle-engine coupe car with fantastic design, a real glimpse into future. Orochi was created as a super-car with a special design, a real dream car, better than any other car. The company was encouraged because for the first time they set an aim they managed to realize.
Nevertheless at present Mitsuoka is still a small company with only 419 employees; its plant produces only several cars per day. There you wouldnt notice the usual production lines with welding robots, since assemblage is mostly manual.
In 2001 they opened a special Mitsuoka demonstration hall in Yokohama. Besides there are some offices of Mitsuoka in Hong-Kong, Malaysia and Brunei. Susumu Mitsuokas philosophy of constructing unique original cars worked out that was indicated by its commercial success.
Mitsuoka History
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