Chapter 2. Passion for Making Body Covers

2-1: The Passion Behind Body Covers

What do you prioritize when making body covers?

We focus on whether customers can “truly feel the benefits that a body cover provides.” There are three main points we pay special attention to.

First is “functionality.” We prioritize protecting the car and preventing damage over just making the cover look cool. For example, regarding the door mirror area: many cars now automatically fold their mirrors when locked, but even if the mirror is not folded when putting on or removing the cover, the design ensures no stress is placed on the mirror.
Sometimes customers ask for a tighter fit around the mirrors, but that could damage the car, so we explain and ask for their understanding.

Second is “not printing the Nakabayashi Kogyo name or logo on the cover.” Printing logos can cause unevenness, and under the hot summer sun, the logo area concentrates sunlight, which can damage the car’s body. So we absolutely never print logos. Though from a business perspective, having our logo would promote the company (laughs).

Third is “balance.” The cover must not stress the car, have as few seams as possible, keep rain out, and be easy to put on and take off. It’s meaningless if one aspect is excellent but another is poor, so we weigh various functions and continuously improve to achieve the best possible balance.

You pay attention even to the sewing seams?!

Yes. Adding more parts to fit the car shape better increases seams, which can let rainwater in and reduce durability. So minimizing seams is very important.
For example, the door mirror pouch is sewn tightly with a single needle to keep water out, while the hem is sewn a bit more loosely because it’s pulled tight at the end. We vary the stitching depending on the part.

We also design the fabric to minimize seams, using only up to four types of parts: the roof fabric, side fabric, gussets inserted between them, and excluding protrusions like side under mirrors.

Wow… is this dedication something you inherited from your father?

Yes, I think I was greatly influenced by him. He often said, “In business, what matters is making good products that satisfy customers. If you trick customers for your own convenience, they’ll never buy from you again.”
I’m happy to receive many orders, but I always keep in mind that “selling once is not the end.” Only when customers feel “I’m glad I bought this” does it lead to the next order. We put our heart into making each cover.

2-2: Turning Passion into Reality

How do you share this passion with the craftsmen on site?

We talk about these things regularly, so I think they understand to some extent. I also tell them, “If you were the customer, would you pay this price? Let’s make something you’d be satisfied to buy.”
If you imagine paying that price yourself, you can’t be careless.

That doesn’t mean working slowly, though. Sewing must be done at a certain speed to avoid puckering or tension issues. But if it’s too fast and the stitching is off by even 1 cm, sometimes the whole piece must be redone.
It’s a world where speed and accuracy are both essential, requiring skilled craftsmanship. I used to help with sewing myself, but I ended up being more of a hindrance (laughs), so now I focus on measuring patterns.

Are there manufacturers whose cars are hard to measure?

Yes… Recently, we measured a Lamborghini Huracán, which was very challenging. The pointed front makes it difficult to make a cover without wrinkles or tension if using typical cover-making methods. Custom modifications make it even harder. But to meet the wishes of owners who cherish their cars, we keep innovating and measuring carefully every day.

What kind of feedback do you get from customers about these careful covers?

Lately, many say “When selling the car, it fetches a surprisingly high price.” Because the interior and exterior remain in excellent condition, the car looks very clean for its mileage. Parts like the windshield, wiper rubber, and headlights deteriorate quickly if left in the rain, but the cover greatly reduces this damage.

Body covers not only prevent dirt and reduce washing frequency, but also offer long-term benefits. So we often hear customers say, “Considering the higher resale value, it’s a very worthwhile item!”