A Japanese start-up is making waves in the domestic electric vehicle (EV) market with a tiny, one-seater EV that costs just ¥1.1 million (around RM30,000).
KG Motors, based in the suburbs of Hiroshima, has unveiled the “mibot”, a compact, battery-powered vehicle aimed at tackling the challenges of urban mobility on Japan’s narrow streets.
The mibot stands at 1,465 mm in height and measures just 2,490 mm long and 1,130 mm wide — smaller than a traditional kei car.
Weighing under 300kg, the vehicle is powered by a 7.68 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery offering a 100km range on a full charge. It has a top speed of 60kph and can be fully recharged in about five hours using a standard 100V household socket.
Bloomberg reports that the first production units are scheduled for delivery in October 2025, with 3,300 units planned by March 2027.
Over 2,250 orders have already been placed as of May, and more than half of the first production run has been pre-sold, according to the company.
The first 300 vehicles are expected to be delivered to customers in Hiroshima and Tokyo by March 2026.
Founder and CEO Kazunari Kusunoki, who previously ran a YouTube channel dedicated to compact cars, said the concept was born from a simple observation: cars in Japan are often too big for the streets they drive on.
“Cars are simply too big,” Kusunoki said, noting that the country’s aging population and declining public transport infrastructure are also key factors behind the demand for ultra-compact mobility solutions.
The mibot’s minimalistic construction — essentially a battery, motor, and lightweight monocoque chassis — keeps production costs low.
KG Motors acknowledges it will operate at a loss for the first batch but expects to break even on the second and targets 10,000 units annually thereafter.
Japan remains slow to embrace EVs, which accounted for just 3.5% of total vehicle sales in 2023 — far below the global average of 18%.
In comparison, Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, sold only around 2,000 EVs in Japan last year. KG Motors, with a smaller scale and niche product, is on track to surpass that figure within its first production cycle.
Despite the country’s preference for petrol-electric hybrids, compact EVs like the mibot and Nissan’s Sakura have carved out a niche. Kei-class EVs accounted for 55% of Japan’s EV sales in 2023.
The trend is mirrored in markets like China, where the Hongguang Mini by SAIC-GM-Wuling became a top seller due to its compact size and affordability.
Kusunoki believes that single- and two-seater EVs are the answer for ageing rural communities where public transport is failing. “At some point, it becomes necessary to have one car per person, not just per household,” he said.
KG Motors has also released footage of the mibot undergoing crash tests, driving on snowy roads in Hokkaido, and navigating the tight alleys of Hiroshima, highlighting its compliance with Japan’s strict safety standards.
The mibot could mark a new chapter in Japan’s EV story—one where affordability, practicality, and compactness take precedence over size and range.
