Corporate brand
UnclaimedHKS is a Japanese automotive engineering and performance-parts company known for turbocharging, engine management, exhaust systems, suspension, motorsport development, and high-performance aftermarket tuning.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
HKS Co., Ltd. is a Japanese automotive engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, near Mount Fuji. Its principal business is the design, manufacture, and sale of high-performance aftermarket components and accessories for automobiles. The company is particularly associated with turbocharger systems, exhaust products, engine-management electronics, suspension, engine internals, and complete vehicle tuning. It also undertakes original-equipment and contract manufacturing and has developed technologies for commercial vehicles, compressed-natural-gas systems, connected devices, and electric-vehicle applications. HKS was established in 1973 by Hiroyuki Hasegawa, a former Yamaha Motor engineer, and Goichi Kitagawa. Startup financing came from Sigma Automotive, whose name contributed the initial “S” to HKS, while the other letters represented Hasegawa and Kitagawa. The business began in a dairy-farming shed at the foot of Mount Fuji, where the founders tuned gasoline engines and pursued performance technologies that large automakers were not producing for the consumer market. In July 1974, Hasegawa engineered HKS’s first commercial passenger-car turbocharger kit. Turbocharging subsequently became the company’s defining technical field and a foundation for its global reputation. Over time, HKS expanded from turbocharger hardware into complete performance systems. Its portfolio has included bolt-on and upgraded turbochargers, intercoolers, blow-off valves, exhaust systems, camshafts, connecting rods, pistons, crankshafts, fuel systems, boost controllers, piggyback computers, electronic engine-management products, coil-over suspension, and other chassis components. The company has also introduced electronic turbo timers and other products that helped make advanced tuning equipment more accessible to enthusiasts. Motorsport has been central to HKS’s product development and brand identity. From the 1980s onward, the company participated in speed-record attempts, time attack, drag racing, touring cars, Formula 3, drifting, superbike and endurance racing, and other disciplines. Vehicles such as the M300, T-001, T-002, TRB-01, TRB-02, CT230R, GT1000+, TRB-03, and TRB-04 served as engineering demonstrators as well as competition cars. These programs gave HKS a platform for testing turbochargers, engines, transmissions, aerodynamics, suspension, and data-driven vehicle development under extreme conditions. The company developed its Japanese infrastructure through factories, technical centers, sales offices, and affiliated service operations. It established muffler-production capacity in Fujinomiya, created HKS Technical Factories for service and development, and maintained an international distribution structure. Overseas operations have included HKS Europe, HKS Thailand, HKS Shanghai, and HKS USA. HKS USA ceased operations in 2011 and was later re-established in 2017; North American distribution subsequently involved Motovicity Distribution and, after Motovicity’s assets were acquired, Turn 14 Distribution. HKS has also diversified beyond enthusiast aftermarket parts. It acquired full ownership of Nissei Kogyo in 2000, bringing metal-processing and component-manufacturing capabilities covering parts such as crankshafts, camshafts, cylinders, pistons, and injector components. The company has supplied original-equipment and contract-manufacturing customers, obtained ISO 9001 certification in 2010, developed compressed-natural-gas and bi-fuel systems, and operated an aviation subsidiary that produced the HKS 700E aircraft engine before its activities ended. Its IoT Connected Service division, launched in 2019, developed vehicle and safety-related devices, including the MAMORU shuttle-bus safety monitoring device. HKS also participated in Japanese government-supported research into exchangeable-battery electric commercial vehicles. In 2024, HKS introduced HKSTUDIE, a collaborative BMW-focused tuning brand with Studie AG. This initiative extended HKS’s performance-engineering model into a marque-specific partnership while preserving the company’s broader identity as a supplier of engineered aftermarket systems. HKS remains active as a Japanese performance-automotive brand with manufacturing, research, motorsport, distribution, and specialist-vehicle activities.
History
HKS was founded in 1973 by Hiroyuki Hasegawa and Goichi Kitagawa, with startup financing from Sigma Automotive. The founders operated initially from a dairy-farming shed near Mount Fuji and concentrated on gasoline-engine tuning. Their objective was to develop high-performance engines and components beyond the normal scope of mass-market automobile manufacturers. In July 1974, HKS commercialized a passenger-car turbocharger kit engineered by Hasegawa, establishing the turbocharger business that became central to the company. During the 1980s, HKS broadened its engineering and manufacturing base. It built a Fujinomiya factory in 1984 and added a Kitayama factory in 1985 for muffler production. It also expanded through service and tuning partnerships, including the relationship with Twin Power, later known as HKS Kansai Service. That affiliation eventually ended formally in 2010, although the two businesses retained a working relationship. HKS entered a range of motorsport categories, using racing and record attempts to validate its engine, turbocharger, exhaust, suspension, and control technologies. HKS’s competition history includes Japan’s Super Sports and Grand Champion series, Japanese touring cars, drag racing, Formula 3, endurance motorcycle racing, drifting, and international single-seater competition. The company’s HKS Skyline GT-R became prominent in the 1992 Japanese Touring Car Championship, while later programs demonstrated increasingly ambitious engineering. HKS developed the 300E V12 engine for a Formula One development effort in the early 1990s, although the engine was tested rather than raced in Formula One. In drag racing, HKS-built Toyota Supra and Nissan GT-R projects achieved notable quarter-mile performance, and the company’s D1 Grand Prix involvement helped associate the brand with professional drifting. Time attack became another defining part of HKS’s identity. The M300 exceeded 300 km/h at the Yatabe proving grounds in 1983, and subsequent projects such as the T-001 Supra, T-002 Skyline GT-R, TRB-01 Altezza, TRB-02 Lancer Evolution, CT230R, GT1000+ R35 GT-R, TRB-03 Toyota 86, and TRB-04 Suzuki Swift pursued circuit and speed records. These vehicles functioned both as racing machines and as research platforms for parts later offered to customers. The company internationalized its operations through HKS Europe in England in 1996, HKS Thailand in 2001, and HKS Shanghai in 2012. HKS USA was originally established in 1982, closed its direct operations in 2011, and was re-established in 2017. In the intervening period, U.S. distribution was handled through wholesale partners. HKS also created technical factories and service facilities in Japan, while maintaining sales and distribution coverage across Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas. HKS became publicly traded in June 1999, initially through the Japan Securities Dealers Association and later through the JASDAQ Securities Exchange in 2004. In May 2000, it acquired full ownership of Nissei Kogyo, a metal-processing and manufacturing company capable of producing engine-related components. HKS received ISO 9001 quality-management certification in 2010, supporting its original-equipment and contract-manufacturing activities. Beyond conventional aftermarket tuning, HKS created an aviation subsidiary in 1996, developed compressed-natural-gas and gasoline/CNG bi-fuel systems, and launched its IoT Connected Service division in 2019. The company’s diversification continued with connected vehicle devices and the MAMORU shuttle-bus safety monitor, released in 2023 following government approval. HKS also joined a Japanese environmental initiative focused on exchangeable-battery electric commercial vehicles and demonstrated prototype light-duty trucks in 2022. In 2024, HKS and BMW tuning specialist Studie AG launched HKSTUDIE. The collaboration focuses on BMW-specific performance products, including exhaust and coil-over suspension systems. The initiative illustrates HKS’s continuing strategy of combining its own engineering and manufacturing capabilities with specialist partners and marque-specific performance markets.
- 2024
HKSTUDIE launches
[1]HKS and Studie AG introduce a BMW-focused collaborative performance brand.
- 2023
MAMORU is released
[1]HKS releases its approved shuttle-bus safety monitoring device.
- 2019
TRB-04 sets a front-wheel-drive Tsukuba record
[1]The HKS TRB-04 Suzuki Swift records a reported 55.498-second front-wheel-drive lap at Tsukuba.
- 2018
TRB-03 breaks the 50-second Tsukuba barrier
[1]The HKS TRB-03 Toyota 86 records a reported 49.44-second lap at Tsukuba Circuit.
- 2010
ISO 9001 certification
[1]HKS receives ISO 9001 quality-management certification for manufacturing activities.
- 2003
First HKS Technical Factory
[1]HKS establishes its first technical factory in Toda, Saitama, combining service, tuning, development, and selected sales activities.
- 2000
Nissei Kogyo acquisition
[1]HKS takes full ownership of Nissei Kogyo, expanding its metal-processing and engine-component manufacturing capabilities.
- 1999
HKS becomes publicly traded
[1]HKS enters public trading through the Japan Securities Dealers Association.
- 1992
JTCC victory with Skyline GT-R
[1]HKS wins a Japanese Touring Car Championship race at Sugo with an HKS-developed Nissan Skyline GT-R.
- 1984
Fujinomiya factory opens
[1]HKS builds a factory in Kamiide, Fujinomiya, near its original Mount Fuji base.
Products and positioning
A technically driven Japanese performance-automotive brand positioned between motorsport engineering and enthusiast aftermarket accessibility. HKS emphasizes high-output powertrain development, tested vehicle systems, Japanese tuning culture, and engineering credibility derived from competition and record-setting programs.
Engine performance · 1974
Turbocharger systems
Turbocharger development has been HKS’s foundational product area since its first commercial passenger-car kit in 1974. The range includes upgraded and bolt-on turbochargers, turbocharger kits, wastegate-related hardware, intercooler systems, and supporting intake and exhaust components. HKS uses these products in both customer vehicles and competition programs, where higher airflow, thermal control, and engine-management integration are critical.
Automotive electronics
Engine management and boost control
HKS produces electronic tools for controlling and monitoring modified engines, including boost controllers, turbo timers, piggyback fuel computers, and other engine-management products. These systems are intended to coordinate turbocharger operation, fueling, ignition, and driver-adjustable performance settings while supporting the company’s broader powertrain hardware.
Exhaust components · 1985
Exhaust systems and mufflers
HKS manufactures performance exhaust systems and mufflers for a wide range of Japanese and international vehicle applications. Products are developed to improve exhaust flow and complement turbocharger and engine modifications, while the company’s dedicated muffler-production facility helped establish exhaust manufacturing as a major part of its aftermarket portfolio.
Chassis and suspension
Suspension and chassis products
HKS offers coil-over suspension and related chassis products for street, circuit, and tuned-vehicle use. Its technical factories and service partners have supported suspension installation, setup, overhaul, and development, allowing HKS to connect product design with practical vehicle testing and motorsport experience.
Engine components
Engine internals and fuel components
The company’s performance-engine portfolio includes components such as camshafts, connecting rods, crankshafts, pistons, cylinders, and injector-related parts. These products support high-output engine builds and reflect HKS’s move from bolt-on tuning products toward integrated engine engineering and manufacturing.
Motorsport and complete vehicle development · 2014
HKS GT1000+ Nissan GT-R
The GT1000+ was a heavily modified Nissan GT-R R35 developed for high-speed and time-attack competition. Its powertrain was reported at more than 1,000 PS, and the project produced notable Fuji Speedway and World Time Attack Challenge results. It served as a demonstration of HKS turbocharging, engine, drivetrain, aerodynamics, and chassis capabilities.
BMW performance brand · 2024
HKSTUDIE
HKSTUDIE is a collaborative brand launched by HKS and BMW tuning specialist Studie AG in 2024. It focuses on BMW sports-car performance products, including exhaust systems and coil-over suspension, combining HKS engineering and manufacturing with Studie AG’s BMW-specific market expertise.
Connected vehicle safety device · 2023
MAMORU
MAMORU is a shuttle-bus safety monitoring device developed by HKS’s IoT Connected Service division. It was approved by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and released in 2023 as part of HKS’s expansion into connected mobility and transport safety.
Brand decisions
2024
HKS launches HKSTUDIE with Studie AGProduct launchBackground
HKS expanded its marque-specific performance business into BMW tuning through a partnership with Studie AG.
Action taken
The companies introduced HKSTUDIE for BMW-oriented products such as exhaust systems and coil-over suspension.
Aftermath
The launch extended HKS’s product and partnership strategy into a specialist European-brand performance segment.
2021
HKS joins exchangeable-battery EV development initiativeStrategyBackground
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment commissioned HKS to participate in a group studying renewable-energy use and exchangeable batteries for commercial electric vehicles.
Action taken
HKS contributed to the development of exchangeable-battery electric commercial light-duty trucks.
Aftermath
Prototype delivery demonstrations began at FamilyMart stores in November 2022.
2019
HKS enters connected mobility servicesStrategyBackground
HKS sought to apply its engineering and manufacturing capabilities beyond conventional aftermarket tuning.
Action taken
The company launched its IoT Connected Service division to develop connected cameras, sensors, safety equipment, and related devices.
Aftermath
The division produced the MAMORU shuttle-bus safety monitoring device and other mobility-oriented technologies.
2017
HKS re-establishes HKS USAStrategyBackground
After several years relying on wholesale distribution in the United States, HKS restored a direct subsidiary presence.
Action taken
HKS USA, Inc. was re-established in Chandler, Arizona.
Aftermath
The re-established subsidiary supported HKS’s renewed direct presence in the North American performance-parts market.
2011
HKS shifts U.S. distribution after closing HKS USA operationsStrategyBackground
HKS ended the operations of its original U.S. subsidiary and elected to use wholesale distribution for the American market.
Action taken
Motovicity Distribution was selected as the North American master distributor for HKS products.
Aftermath
HKS later re-established HKS USA in 2017, while U.S. distribution continued to involve specialist wholesale partners.
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