Japanese Kei Cars

Many probably remember the invasion of the little compact cars that came to the States from Japan about thirty to thirty-five years ago. We Americans liked our big cars, but with the gas shortage of the late 1970's, the gas sipping compacts were viewed as a necessary alternative to the gas guzzling Cadillacs, Chryslers, and other "battleships on wheels" of the time. Many ridiculed the little compacts as unsafe and merely toys. Well, we did not get the "toys." The models that we still get even to this day are not as small as the ones that are sold on the Japanese domestic market. I am speaking of the micro Kei class cars. ("Kei" is pronounced just like the letter "K.")

These little cars were developed as a way for the immediate postwar domestic car market to take off. These cars are a good choice for a nation that has little space and high gas prices.

The Japanese government has regulated what can be called a Kei car. According to Wikipedia, the current regulations (adopted on October 1, 1998) are that a Kei car has a maxim length of 3,400 millimeters (133.86 inches), maximum width of 1,480 millimeters (58.26 inches), maximum height of 2,000 millimeters (78.74 inches), maximum engine displacement of 660 cc (40.28 cu. in.), and a maximum power output of 47 kW (63 horsepower). Almost every Japanese car manufacturer makes several models of this class every year. You can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_car to view a list of manufacturers and images of different models.

Here are some pictures of some Kei cars that I took while in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, in 2005.

The Aptly Named "Guppy"

The Daihatsu Naked

Another View of the Naked

Don't expect to see these little cars on US highways soon. They would be destroyed super quick the way we drive. Although many Canadians are turning to these little babies because of the current gas prices. It will be interesting to see how that turns out.