Two anime themed cars, called itashas, with the Girls und Panzer theme are currently up for sale after one of them was revealed in January at the Automobile museum Toyota Auto Salon Amlux and numerous other conventions. The two cars, one a Toyota Prius and the other a Toyota Vitz, will be available for purchase online via a lotto system. From April 2nd to the 14th potential buyers may have a chance to take the car home and show it off to the neighbours and waifus. The winners of the lotto will then speak with officials and undergo business negotiations after the lotto ends on the 14th.
The Toyota Prius Girls und Panzer car is currently priced at ¥2,399,000 (~$25, 000 USD) and the Vitz is priced at ¥1,449,000 (~$15,000 USD). The relatively cheap price of the cars is mostly due to the fact that base is from a used car, so nothing is too premium or shiny. The cars themselves are limited to one per customer so you and your ‘partner’ won’t be able to drive side by side in glorious moe. The cars will include a one year warranty and while the custom paint itself isn’t covered, Toyota will pay compensation for any repairs during the first year.
While the exterior itself is all handy dandy the biggest selling point will be the navigation system, which is voiced by Mai Fuchigami who voices Miho Nishizumi in the anime. So I guess people will be flogging online to place in the lotto just for the sweet voice of Fuchigami as she guides you through the streets of Japan. Responses of the car from NicoNico have been really positive with the most praise going to the navigation system, hoping that Toyota will sell the custom navigation system independently. The navigation system is also not under the one year insurance.
Project manager Kaneko Kohei hopes that the response for the Itashas will be large and the possibility of the cars in the market is still open. Kohei states “If possible, I want people who love Girls und Panzer to drive this car. Depending on the response it gets, I think we would be able to continue with a second or third generation of these itasha.” So even if you miss out on these cars, there is still a possibility for you to drive one, maybe even one of your own favourite anime.
Girls und Panzer is an anime set in a world where tank fighting has become an art and sport. With moe girls driving tanks and random moments of German, who wouldn’t like this anime? Here is a synopsis from MAL:
You may have heard of kung fu, but the girls at Oarai High School practice gun-fu—really, really BIG 75mm gun-fu, in fact. It’s called Sensha-do, and it’s the martial art of operating armored tanks! They take it seriously too, and since winning the national Sensha-do championship is such a huge deal at Oarai, they sometimes go to extreme ends in order to get the best students from Panzer class to sign up. Which is how Miho Nishizumi, who HATES operating tanks, gets drafted to join doomsday-driven driver Mako, even-triggered gunner Hana, highly receptive radio operator Saori and combustible tank-fangirl and loader Yukari as the incomparable Anko Team. They may not be on the half-track to fame and fortune, and maybe a few of them would rather shop for tank tops than become tops in tanks, but once their focus is locked and loaded, they’re absolutely driven.
If you want to be in the lotto to win this car you can visit the Toyko Toypet website, who will be overseeing the entire lotto: http://www.tokyo-toyopet.co.jp/u-car/special/girlpan/
Be wary if you do win, driving this car around your neighbourhood may get some weird looks from people.
Also, there is a Love Live! School Idol Project van that was shown at Amlux but is unfortunately not for sale yet. Though the van itself does yell suspicion…
So which anime themed car would you want to drive?
Tokyo Toypet Girls und Panzer website
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Source Girls und Panzer Images- Response JP
Source Love Live! van Images- Response JP
