ICOMA “SelfMade”: Open Innovation from a DIY Sports Car

Exhibited at Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026, ICOMA Inc.‘s “SelfMade” is a compact sports car classified as a motorized microcar (a four-wheeled version of a 50cc moped). What makes this vehicle truly remarkable is that it didn’t begin as a corporate new business venture; rather, it started as an individual’s DIY project and grew into a “Compact Sports Car Co-Creation Project” involving multiple companies.

The development originated when Hirotaka Toyonaga, ICOMA’s Chief Mechanic and the leader of this project, saw a YouTube video of a homemade motorized microcar. Thinking, “I might be able to build one myself,” he began crafting it as a hobby. Not stopping there, he surprisingly quit his job at the time and set off on a journey around Japan in the completed vehicle. As he shared his travels on social media, he caught the eye of ICOMA and joined the business. Furthermore, exhibiting the car at last year’s Japan Mobility Show successfully garnered significant interest from other companies. As a result, the project has come to fruition with full-scale commercialization plans.

From a manufacturing perspective, the development hurdles unique to motorized microcars are quite high. Because the engine output is limited to the equivalent of 50cc, drastic weight reduction is essential to ensure driving performance. Furthermore, due to its extremely compact nature, the clearance between components is tight, creating design challenges where parts must be custom-made from scratch if suitable commercial components cannot be found.

To overcome the barriers of mass production—where an individual’s power alone has its limits—and elevate the vehicle from a “work of art to a commercial product,” a collaborative framework with strong partner companies is currently in place. ICOMA handles product planning, design, and engineering. Meanwhile, Hagiwara Electronics Co., Ltd. takes on business support, parts procurement routing, and SCM (Supply Chain Management) construction, and Nabari Holdings Co., Ltd. provides the know-how for mass-production process design, quality control, and inventory management. The project is advancing through this solid division of roles among the three companies.

Looking ahead, the policy is to proceed with building an EV-based prototype. The target audience is users who seek the joy of driving, and the aim is to set a price point “cheaper than a kei (light) sports car.” Additionally, starting in October 2026, behind-the-scenes content on the development process will be shared regularly on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). How to combine an individual’s creativity with corporate assets—the practical hints for such open innovation can be found right here.