The last ‘Q Car’, of which only nine were produced
Akira Toriyama, who passed away on March 1, 2024, was a manga artist and designer known for his popular manga “Dr. Slump” and “Dragon Ball” as well as character designs for video games. Let us introduce the “QVOLT,” a one-seater EV that he designed nearly 20 years ago of which only nine were produced.
A Choro-Q that can actually be ridden by people!
Nowadays, BEVs (electric vehicles that do not have an internal combustion engine and run only on a battery and motor) are no longer special vehicles, as many new models from Chinese and Korean manufacturers, not to mention domestic and Western manufacturers, are beginning to hit Japanese roads, but at the beginning of this century, their operation was still very limited. At the beginning of the century, however, their operation was still limited to very specific applications. ChoroQ Motors was a small ‘electric car manufacturer’ born in Japan at such a time.
As many of you may know, Choro-Q is a classic car toy released by toy manufacturer Takara (now Takara Tomy). It is a “running miniature car” that combines the comically deformed body of a real car with a pull-back spring. It was in 2002 that Takara established a subsidiary company, ChoroQ Motors Ltd, to produce “actual ChoroQ cars”, with the aim of “making a ChoroQ that people can actually ride”.
Choro-Q Motors ended as a very short-lived dream
Toy manufacturers face a high hurdle when it comes to building a car that can be driven on public roads. So Choro-Q Motors made that dream a reality by entering the single-seater electric vehicle genre, which is classified as a motorised bicycle (four-wheeled).
In concrete terms, the company was supplied with the basic components of the Everyday Coms compact electric vehicle by Toyota-affiliated manufacturer Araco (now Toyota Auto Body), and the chassis was fitted with a comical, originally designed body. Cox, known for its Volkswagen/Audi tuning, was in charge of the vehicle’s development and type certification.
The basic specifications were RWD with wheel-in motors on each of the two rear wheels, a maximum speed of 50 km/h, a full charge in about eight hours using a household power outlet and a range of 80 km (constant 30 km/h) / 60 km (10 modes). There is no obligation to wear a helmet when driving, but a standard four-wheel licence is required.
The small electric cars made by Choro-Q Motors were known as the ‘Q Car’ series, and the first production car, the Qi, and the slightly later second series, the U, were released one after the other. Including other models that were never put on the market, such as the prototype exhibited at the 2002 launch, there are currently seven known models.
But despite the buzz, Choro-Q Motors withdrew from the ‘car manufacturing’ business shortly after its establishment. The challenge of a small electric car manufacturer came to an end after a short period.
What is the QVOLT, for which Akira Toriyama worked on the design for over a year?
Of the successive Q cars created by Choro Q Motors, the QVOLT was the last mass-produced commercial model. All previous Q cars were designed in-house, but the QVOLT, as mentioned above, was designed by manga artist/designer Akira Toriyama.
Akira Toriyama, who was already known as a nationally popular manga artist at the time of the Dragon Ball blockbuster, fully demonstrated his feelings and sense for mecha and is said to have spent more than a year working on the design, which is still outstandingly high among all previous Q cars.
The appearance is reminiscent of the show rods of the American West Coast, and the chrome parts cleverly placed in various parts are also effective. The unstable aspect ratio of the moped car on which it is based is emphasised by the long grille and single eye light like the Ford Edsel of yesteryear, achieving both a ‘Choro-Q feel’ and an ‘Akira Toriyama taste’.
Although it was not inexpensive at the time of its release, priced at 1,990,000 yen (including consumption tax), it was introduced in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, and due to the rarity of being limited to nine units worldwide, it was said to have sold out immediately after its announcement.
Rescued unit that had been sleeping in a warehouse for 18 years
“I have admired this car since it was first announced, but due to its price and rarity, I was never able to acquire it. But I couldn’t give up on the idea, and I kept searching for 18 years.”
The current owner of QVOLT, Mr. Yuki Mizuguchi, is a “small car collector” who also owns many mopeds and other vehicles, and is a veterinarian who runs a veterinary clinic in Saitama.
Mr. Mizuguchi’s enthusiasm in pursuit of the QVOLT may have been a match made in heaven, as he discovered that one of the nine cars produced was sitting in a warehouse in almost new condition. After continued negotiations with the relevant parties, Mr. Mizuguchi’s enthusiasm as a “small car collector” was recognised and the actual car was transferred to him.
Mizuguchi-san came to us with chassis number “1”. It was the same chassis that was used for the QVOLT catalogue photo shoot, and on the bonnet was a handwritten signature with the words “Akira Toriyama”.
The first car used for the catalogue shoot successfully obtained a number
“The battery was all but unusable and every part of the car was damaged after 18 years of neglect, but we restored it painstakingly and successfully obtained the number in 2023. Apart from the addition of LED lights, a voltmeter and an anti-theft system, it is exactly as it appeared in the catalogue at the time.”
The engine is currently in good condition and participates in neighbourhood events. Of the nine vehicles produced in total, Mr Mizuguchi is aware of only six at the moment.
“We know the whereabouts of up to six of them each for Mr Toriyama and Shueisha, three in the Kanto and Chūbu regions, and my car the remaining three are unknown. Perhaps they have been scrapped.”
Although the challenging business of Choro-Q motors itself did not make it big, the limited edition QVOLT model left a solid mark on the margins of Japanese automobile history, and will continue to shine brightly in Mr. Mizuguchi’s “small car collection”.
translated by DeepL