Rilakkuma Alloy Wheels Could Be Japan's Strangest Aftermarket Goodie Ever!

⌖ 5 Photos

share:  share  share  tweet  pin  tumblr

A- A+

Everybody knows about Hello Kitty. It's on toys, food, clothes, sexy underwear and of course cars, lots of strange cars. We here at autoevolution think being mainstream is bad, really bad, which is why the next big thing to come from Japan is one of our hot subjects of the day.

Say hello to Rilakkuma, a combination of the Japanese pronunciation of relax and the Japanese word for bear, which is "kuma". It's also featured on everything from food to toys, but hasn't got the mainstream appeal of its feline rival. The perfect thing, then, to put on your brand new car to make it stand out.

A Japanese wheel company called MLJ Inc. decided little bears are just what your car wheels need, and so they created these abominations, mainly for the Japanese kei car market. Available in either silver or pearl white, the bear wheels are either 14 or 15 inches and cost from JPY 16,200. That's about $150 or $50 per bear… peanuts, really!

Strange as they are, the alloys have passed every strength test stipulated by the Japan Vehicle Inspection Association. Four lugs fix them to your car and are neatly hidden away behind disc-shaped hub covers. You can even buy little valve caps with the Rilakkuma logo on them. We have no idea what this wheel set will do to the resale value of your car, but the Asian ladies will surely dig your style. Because this is the fifth most popular character in Japan right now, we figured you have a 1-in-5 chance of finding a date if you drive a Rilakkuma kei car. That's a fact we are definitely not making up!

❐ Check out the Rilakkuma Car Wheels photo gallery

share:  share  share  tweet  pin  tumblr

UP NEXT: New C-Class W205 Has a Longer Wheelbase Than The E-Class W210

filed under: Japan JDM kei car rilakkuma