Tiny Cars Are instant hit in Japan

TOKYO -- Driving in this town sucks. The traffic is horrible, gas is astronomically expensive and just try to find parking. This explains why the Japanese love their tiny Kei cars. The lilliputian vehicles are ubiquitous in Japan - and they would be here, if Detroit had any sense. The Kei cars is the future of transportation, and if the Big Three survive they should start cranking them out here in America.

Kei cars (or 軽い自動車) are so compact they make the Mini look gargantuan, and you find them everywhere in the Japanese capital. They trace their roots to the microcars of the post-war era, a time when resources were scarce and money was tight. And though they harken to the past, they also hint at the future. The big Japanese automakers have been building Kei cars for years (and Toyota may bring one to America), and as the struggling auto industry finally realizes fuel economy and low emissions are important, it's learning that small is the next big thing.

To fall into the Kei class, a car can be no more than 11.1-feet long, 4.6-feet wide, and 6.5-feet high, with a 660 cc engine. Americans used to hulking SUVs that weigh three tons and seat eight people (yet rarely seem to carry more than two) will wonder how on earth anyone could drive something so small. But really -- do you need anything bigger when all you're doing is slogging to work or running errands?

Japanese automakers produce more than 50 models of Kei car, and they range from the strictly utilitarian Daihatsu Hijet van to the sporty Mazda Autozam that gets 50 mpg. They're easy to recognize -- they're so tiny you can't help but notice them -- but if you need confirmation that you're looking at a Kei, look for a yellow license plate with black lettering (or if it's a commercial Kei, a black plate with yellow text).

The Kei car rose from the wreckage of World War II, when Japan's economy was a mess and its population broke. Rebuilding the auto industry was essential to getting the country back on its feet, but people were lucky if they had the Yen to buy a scooter. To promote sales, the government offered generous tax and insurance breaks to Kei car customers. It's a practice that has stuck - and stands in stark contrast to America, where tax incentives helped make SUVs so popular.

Kei cars also sip gas -- they typically get 40 to 60 mpg -- which is another reason they're so popular. Gasoline costs $5.79 a gallon in Japan, the lowest price in six months. While new car sales  in Japan were down by more than 13 percent, Kei carssales jumped 6.2 percent. The CEOs of the Big Three would sell their children for sales figures half that good. If Detroit survives its fiscal implosion, maybe it will finally realize small can be big.

And a few from Flickr ...

A Suzuki by Flickr user IwateBuddy:

Honda Beat by Flickr user dave_7:

Daihatsu Copen by Flickr user IwateBuddy:

How small are Kei cars? This photo series by Flickr user mauricedenbosch shows someone almost 7 feet tall getting into a Daihatsu Copen:

Posted in: Japaneese,Tiny Cars