KG Magazine is a unique media outlet that follows the development project of the small mobility robot “mibot.”
Editor Nomoto visited the garage at KG Motors’ headquarters in Shiwa, Higashihiroshima, in early September. He had visited the garage several times when it was still called “Kussun Garage,” and its main business was posting videos on YouTube, but this was his first visit since KG Motors was established and the mibot development project got underway. He stepped inside, feeling a sense of nostalgia and the tension of being at the forefront of a major project that is attracting public attention.
The garage, where the absolute being “Boss” reigns, is always in a scramble while the project is underway.
As soon as I stepped into the garage, a male French bulldog named BOSS came galloping, his dry footsteps kicking the concrete floor.
He approached me breathing heavily, thinking he would refuse entry to outsiders, but he ran up to me and asked me to pet him. He is generally charming to visitors, so he is not a reliable guard dog, but he is an indispensable presence at KG Motors as a mascot dog. “He’s still as cute as ever,” I thought as I stroked Boss, and the tension I had felt disappeared, and when I looked around the inside again, the garage, like Boss, had the same calm atmosphere as before…or not.
Around 2021, when I visited regularly for a serial interview in Daytona magazine, there were many vehicles lined up, such as a worn-out Midget and Mazda K360 for a project called “Customizing Three-Wheelers,” and a small EV pickup made in China as a material for EV conversion. In addition, although large machine tools were installed, there was a sense of spaciousness, with ample work space. However, currently, there are development vehicles for autonomous driving functions, a prototype car “T0.5” that was exhibited at Tsutaya Electrics + in Futako Tamagawa, Tokyo until the end of August, and parts and components for prototype vehicles are displayed further back, so the inside of the garage is already cramped.
Project members Yasma (Yasuma Matsui) and Tojiyan (Takashi Ujimoto) are busy working in such a garage.
Yasma, who has been in charge of sheet metal and painting work in car body production since the days of Kussun Garage, not only produces prototype vehicles for the design and development of commercial models, but also assembles and maintains vehicles for exhibition. In particular, reservations have been accepted since late August, and we are busy preparing the prototype car “T0.5” for further promotional measures in the future. By the way, “Boss” is Yasma’s pet dog.
Yasma: The cars in this garage are mainly prototypes and exhibition cars, and the main work is maintenance and assembly of the cars. Even though the premise is that the cars are for shooting promotional videos or exhibited at events, and are different from commercial models, they still need to be safe to drive and have a quality that customers can see. As reservations have started and PR measures are being decided, there are times when we suddenly need a display car on @@@ day, so every day is a “scramble”!
On the day of the interview, the “T0.5” had just returned from Tokyo to the garage. As soon as it returned, about a week later, it was decided that a driving video would be shot for promotional purposes, so we had to inspect and maintain each part. We stopped the vehicle development for the autonomous driving function that we had been working on and started working on the T0.5. Of course, the development of the vehicle body is also progressing at the same time.
While the design of the body for the commercial model is progressing at a different base, they are identifying whether there are any off-the-shelf parts that can be used, whether a new custom-designed product needs to be manufactured, and whether there are any defects when assembled, and providing feedback to the development of the vehicle body for the commercial model. Seeing Yasma bustling about at work, I got a glimpse of the difficulties and hardships that come with developing the “mibot” as a manufacturer. But at the same time, the scrambled atmosphere – the unpretentious nature of the workplace, with a sense of hustle and bustle – and the expressions on their faces, busy yet brimming with a sense of fulfillment, give a sense of reliability.