AutoBacs Seven and four other partners, including China's Chery Automobile, have launched a new electric vehicle brand called EMTA [1, 2].
The venture targets the Japanese mini-vehicle market, where traditional gasoline stations are closing in rural areas and home-charging options are becoming more attractive.
The partnership consists of five companies [1]. The group announced the brand on May 11 [3, 1]. The decision to focus on mini-vehicles is based on the fact that they are the most common cars in daily Japanese life, said CMO Shin Uchikoshi [1].
Mini-vehicles currently account for approximately 40% of all new car sales in Japan [1]. However, the electric vehicle adoption rate remains low at approximately 1.6% [1]. This gap presents a significant growth opportunity for EMTA.
"The brand name is EMTA," said CEO He Xiaoqing [1].
Experts suggest that the shift toward electric mini-vehicles is driven by rural depopulation and the disappearance of gas stations. Saburo Fukao, an executive fellow at the Itochu Research Institute, said that the ability to charge a vehicle at home while sleeping has increased interest in electric mini-cars [1].
There are conflicting reports regarding the launch timeline. One source indicates the first electric mini-vehicle is scheduled for release in 2024 [1], while another reports the company aims to begin sales in 2027 [3]. Additionally, some reports state the company plans to deploy four different models by 2029 [1].
“The brand name is EMTA.”
The launch of EMTA represents a strategic attempt to penetrate the Japanese market by leveraging China's EV manufacturing scale and AutoBacs Seven's domestic infrastructure. By targeting the 'kei' car segment—a cultural and economic staple of Japanese transport—the consortium is betting that rural necessity and the decline of traditional fueling infrastructure will override the slow national adoption of electric vehicles.
