is a small

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

company. It is noted for building unique cars with unconventional styling, some of which are modern while others imitate the look of American, European and particularly British retro cars of the 1950s and 1960s. Mitsuoka Motors is also the principal distributor of the retro-classic TD2000 roadster in Japan. Mitsuoka is primarily a custom design

coachbuilder A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

, customizing production cars, e.g., the

Nissan March The Nissan Micra, also known as the , is a supermini car (B-segment) that has been produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan since 1982. The Nissan Micra replaced the Japanese-market Nissan Cherry. It was exclusive to Nissan Japa ...

, and replacing various aspects of the bodywork. It has also produced a sports car, the

Orochi , or simply , is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed Japanese dragon/serpent. Mythology Yamata no Orochi legends are originally recorded in two ancient texts about Japanese mythology and history. The 712 AD transcribes this dragon name ...

History

Mitsuoka was recognised in 1996 as the 10th Japanese auto manufacturer to be registered in Japan since Honda in 1963, basing its current cars on Nissans and other Japanese car manufacturers. Mitsuoka Motor launched in the UK in 2015 under sole distribution of T W White & Sons and launched the

Mitsuoka Roadster The Mitsuoka Himiko is a luxury roadster designed and built by Mitsuoka. It is named after Himiko, an obscure shaman queen of Yamataikoku in ancient Wa. In the UK it is known as the Mitsuoka Roadster. First generation (2008-2018) Based on th ...

(Himiko) at the London Motor Show in 2016.

Models

Current lineup

*1993–present Viewt *1996–present Galue *2008–present Himiko/Roadster *2010–present Like-T3 *2014–present Ryugi (based on the Toyota Corolla Axio and

Toyota Corolla Fielder The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...

) *2021–present Buddy ( K5 Blazer inspiration based on the

Toyota RAV4 The is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Considered the first ever compact crossover SUV, it made its debut in Japan and Europe in 1994, and in North America in 1995, being launched in January 19 ...

)

Past vehicles

*1982 BUBU 50 Series ** 1982 BUBU 501 (a three-wheeled microcar) ** 1985 BUBU 505-C (a Morgan 4/4 inspiration) *1989-1990 BUBU 356 Speedstar (a replica of the

Porsche 356 The Porsche 356 is a sports car that was first produced by Austrian company Porsche Konstruktionen GesmbH (1948–1949), and then by German company Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH (1950–1965). It was Porsche's first production automobile. E ...

Speedster) *1987-1989 BUBU Classic SSK (replica of the

Mercedes-Benz SSK The Mercedes-Benz SSK (W06) is a roadster built by German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz between 1928 and 1932. The name is an abbreviation of ''Super Sport Kurz'', German for "Super Sport Short", as it was a short wheelbase development o ...

roadster based on the

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

) *2008-2012 Galue 204 (based on the Toyota Corolla Axio) *2010-2012 Galue Classic (based on the Toyota Corolla Axio) *1991-1993 Dore (similar to the Le-Seyde, based on the

Nissan Silvia S13 The is the series of small sports cars produced by Nissan. Versions of the Silvia have been marketed as the 200SX or 240SX for export, with some export versions being sold under the Datsun brand. The name "Silvia" is derived from Sylvia, th ...

) *1990-1993, 2000-2001 Le-Seyde (a

Nissan Silvia The is the series of small sports cars produced by Nissan. Versions of the Silvia have been marketed as the 200SX or 240SX for export, with some export versions being sold under the Datsun brand. The name "Silvia" is derived from Sylvia, th ...

-based coupé inspired by Zimmer) *2010-2012

Like In English, the word ''like'' has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, particle, conjunction, hedge, filler, and quotative. Uses Comparisons ' ...

(based on the

Mitsubishi i-MiEV The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (MiEV is an acronym for ''Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle'') is a five-door hatchback electric car produced in the 2010s by Mitsubishi Motors, and is the electric version of the Mitsubishi i. Rebadged variants of t ...

) *1998-2007 Mitsuoka Microcar **1998-2007 Microcar K-1/MC-1 ***1999-2007 MC-1T **1998-? Microcar K-2 (based on the design of the

FMR Tg500 The FMR Tg500 was a sports car built by Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH, Regensburg (FMR) from 1958 to 1961. Based on the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller monocoque, which otherwise was a platform for three-wheelers, the Tg500 was a four-wheeled car wi ...

) **2005-? Microcar K-3/Type F (design similar to the Zero1) **2006-? Microcar K-4/Type R (styling reminiscent of 1950s race cars) **1999-2007 ME-1 **2002-2007 ME-2 (Convoy 88) *2004-2012 Nouera (based on the

Honda Accord The , also known as the in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of cars manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States since 1989. ...

and later the

Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...

) *2007-2014

(based on the

Honda NSX The Honda NSX, marketed in North America as the Acura NSX, is a two-seat, mid-engined coupe sports car manufactured by Honda. The origins of the NSX trace back to 1984, with the HP-X (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental) concept, which was a mid-eng ...

) *1996-2004 Ray (styling similar to the Riley Elf Mk.3, based on the

Mazda Carol The Mazda Carol is a kei car manufactured by Mazda from 1962 until 1970. The Carol name was revived again with Mazda's 1989 re-entry into the kei car class with the Autozam brand. Since 1989, the Carol has been a rebadging, rebadged model manufac ...

and later the

Daihatsu Mira Gino The is a kei car/city car with distinctive retro styling made by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu from 1999 to 2009. It is based on the more mainstream Mira and was first introduced to the Japanese market in 1999, with the second generation mode ...

) *2018–2022 Rock Star ( C2 Corvette inspiration based on the

Mazda MX-5 The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-passenger roadster sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United Sta ...

) *1998-2004 Ryoga a "classically" styled sedan originally based on the Primera and later on the smaller Sunny *1996-2000 Type F (a restyled Zero1) *2000-2001 Yuga (a

London Taxi A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common s ...

replica based on the

Nissan Cube The Nissan Cube is a mini MPV produced by carmaker Nissan between 1998 to 2019. Initially sold only in Japan, the Cube was sold in North American markets from 2009 to 2014, and in European markets from 2009 to 2011. In Japan, it was exclusive to ...

) *1994-2000 Zero1 (a Lotus Super Seven replica with

Eunos Roadster The Mazda MX-5 (NA) (sold in Japan as the and in North America as the Mazda MX-5 Miata) is the first generation of the Mazda MX-5 manufactured from 1989 to 1997. Inspired by the post-war era British sports cars, the MX-5 rejuvenated intere ...

drivetrain)

References

External links

Mitsuoka Motors Japanese website
(Japanese)
Mitsuoka Motors UK website
(English)
Mitsuoka Motors global website
(English) Companies based in Toyama Prefecture Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1968 Lotus Seven replicas Car manufacturers of Japan Sports car manufacturers Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Japanese brands Japanese companies established in 1968 {{motorvehicle-company-stub