Model Moe Oshikiri, 28, poses with an original Beetle model.

Model Moe Oshikiri designs new Volkswagen Beetle

Thursday 17th April, 10:31 AM JST

TOKYO —

Model Moe Oshikiri, 28, appeared at an event this week to introduce Volkswagen’s “New Beetle” car in Marunouchi. Asked who she wishes to go for a drive with, Oshikiri said, “If I had a boyfriend, I wish he would take me out driving. I have a driver’s license but my friends always drive.”

Volkswagen will tour Japan to introduce its new Beetle model designed by Oshikiri.

14 Comments

Honen at 10:44 AM JST - 17th April

"Designed"? Perhaps you mean "customized".

It's not as if the folken at Volkswagen have taken Miss Oshikiri on board as part of their product engineering team, after all. :)

I will concede, though, that her custom paint job does exhibit a touch of Fahrvergnügen.

Moderator: The Japanese word used at the news conference was "produced," so it is difficult to know exactly what her input was.
Honen at 11:58 AM JST - 17th April

Dear Moderator:

Ah, yes, "produce". As in "produce by"? (that one is right up there with "coupling with" for single B-sides)

I imagine her input was doodling flowers onto a sketch of a Beetle with a set of colored pencils.
Hughgarse at 12:00 PM JST - 17th April

that`s a design?? looks like some tree-hugging hippie rolled a large one and got to it with his "far out man" paintbrush.
Fair dinkum! at 12:02 PM JST - 17th April

Well, nobody is gonna steal it, hey?
rjd_jr at 12:27 PM JST - 17th April

That looks quite lovely but no one way in hell anyone's gonna be caught driving one in public.
papasmurfinjapan at 12:31 PM JST - 17th April

I prefer the Austin Powers version.
evil_robot at 12:40 PM JST - 17th April

Dentsu or Hakuhodo designed it, then slapped her name on it. The real designer was a poor dude in some rural area of Tokyo who got the outsourcing job. He probably made about enough to afford dinner for a week while one of those big agencies pulled in several million yen for it. No credit will ever be given to the designer.
sarcasm123 at 12:57 PM JST - 17th April

"The Japanese word used at the news conference was "produced," so it is difficult to know exactly what her input was."

I didn't know "produced" was a Japanese word...
cupidstunt at 01:03 PM JST - 17th April

Oshikiri said, “If I had a boyfriend, I wish he would take me out driving. I have a driver’s license but my friends always drive.”

It never ceases to amaze me how many stunning women cannot find a boyfriend. Walk around Tokyo any evening or weekend and all you see are women by them self.
WhatJapanThinks at 01:05 PM JST - 17th April

One suspects if it was the katakana "produce" (can't remember how to spell it), that means something like "producer", which I assume really means she said she likes flowers and the real designers went off and did the business.
fireant at 02:16 PM JST - 17th April

The caption says 'original Beetle' which it isn't but the article says 'New.' Plus, as others have pointed out, the design is from the 60s.
Anjiro at 11:43 PM JST - 17th April

yep. 'customize' is just the right word I was looking for.
the_sicilian at 05:48 AM JST - 18th April

Oshikiri said, “If I had a boyfriend, I wish he would take me out driving. I have a driver’s license but my friends always drive.”

It never ceases to amaze me how many stunning women cannot find a boyfriend. Walk around Tokyo any evening or weekend and all you see are women by them self.

Really. I'm sure there are plenty of men that would go out with this "producer".

Addiu
chardk1 at 01:42 PM JST - 18th April

She undoubtedly has a boyfriend . . . model/actresses are supposed to lie about their love life like a baseball player talking about steroids until one day they announce their dekichatta kekkon. I love all the stuff "produced" by Japanese celebrities. It just means 1) they were asked at some preproduction stage "what do you think of this" and "would you agree to be associated with it." Most Japanese celebrities would happily pitch dog crap for a few bucks and air time, so getting someone to "produce" something is just about asking if you are a big company.