Mitsuoka Motor Co. said it will start taking orders Wednesday for its Okuriguruma handmade hearse as "Okuribito," a movie about a mortician, is gaining attention after winning an Academy Award.
"The new vehicle is aimed at seeing off the deceased with respect," a Mitsuoka official said Tuesday.
While the official English title of the film is "Departures," "okuribito" can be translated as "the person seeing off the deceased" and "okuriguruma" as "the car seeing off the deceased."
The car, the Mitsuoka Limousine Type 2-04, is modeled on Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla Fielder station wagon.
At 5.17 meters, it is shorter than the 7 meters for most hearses, so it is easy to handle, Mitsuoka said.
