VeloceDrive

Just for a second, let’s imagine that our childhood drawing comes to life, you know that small strange car you drew in elementary school, and you see it driving down the street from your house. Well if you see a quirky, small and often times boxy car driving down the street, that’s someone who’s brought their dream to life by purchasing a Kei car from Japan.

Created in 1949, the Kei car category of vehicles was designed to boost the Japanese car industry by producing small, fuel efficient and cheap to insure vehicles for the masses. These cars follow strict criteria including an engine displacement limit of only 660cc (40.3 cubic inches) and dimensions of 3.4 m long (11.2 ft), 1.48 m (4.9 ft) wide and 2.0 m (6.6 ft) in height giving these cars a unique look. 

The million dollar question right now is what has gotten many Americans so invested into acquiring this Japanese machinery with engines barely putting out half the power of a mid-range Harley Davidson?

KEI CARS HAVE PECULIAR AND QUIRKY DESIGN AESTHETICS

Car design has become somewhat predictable in the modern ages with the occasional exception that push us into the world of cyber punk such as the Tesla Cyber Truck and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. While the Ioniq and Cybertruck might be a drift from the norm, they are nonetheless full-size vehicle not restricted to the specific dimensions like a Kei car.

Kei cars design epitomizes the philosophy of thinking outside the box to bring forth a designing that not only looks appealing but is practical, functional and efficiently meets all daily requirement that a normal sized vehicle is expected to. This design philosophy has led to fantastic mini pick-up trucks like the Daihatsu Hijet with an actual useable bed and wait for it, a Hijet cargo van.

The versatility of Kei car design extends to mini crossover utility vehicles like the Suzuki Gimny which essentially resembles a mini Jeep that also perform like the car its design was inspired by. If vans, pickup trucks and mini crossover utility vehicles aren’t your coup of tea, I bet my last dollar that the likes of the Daihatsu copen and the Honda S660 will all satisfy all your visual cravings with their unmistakable sport coupe design with striking front facias and read ends. The diminutive nature of kei cars contrast the current crop of oversized American vehicles which makes it’s a compelling argument for some car nerd to splurge on them.

THE COMING OFF AGE FOR KEI CARS

In the early 1980, the US automobile market saw a great increase in vehicle importation from cheaper markets such as Europe and Asia. The import of foreign vehicles not only put domestic manufacturers at risk of losing their profit margins but also exposed the public to unsafe vehicles that were not designed with American safety standards in mind; this meant that cars either didn’t meet crash test standards, highway speeds and occupant protection governed by local manufactures.

To protect Americans, the US Senate passed the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988 also known as the 25-year rule ensuring that any vehicle that’s imported into the United States does not compete with current models and is viewed as classic vehicles thereby bypassing much safety requirements.

In 2024, any kei car built before the year 1999 qualifies to be imported into the United States under the 25 year rule. Given the fact that kei cars have been in production in Japan since the late 1940s, it is no surprise that these vehicles have increased in popularity after becoming legal in the united states, a mirror image of what happened when other JDM cars such as the Skyline Series sport cars, Nissan 240SX, FD RX7 JDM and many other.

Here is a list of Kei cars that are eligible for import in 2023 and in the coming years.

• Suzuki Cappuccino
• Honda Beat
• Honda S660
• Autozam AZ-1
• Daihatsu Copen (legal starting 2027)
• Suzuki Carry
• Honda N-One
• Suzuki Jimny
• Subaru Vivio RX-R
• Daihatsu Hijet
• Suzuki Alto Works
• Daihatsu Mira TR-XX Avanzato

Kei cars in Japan are typically priced lower than larger vehicles, these small cars offer a cost-effective solution for daily commuting, making them particularly appealing to young drivers and urban dwellers. Many owners import Kei cars as their second leisure drive vehicle not for daily commutes, with that in mind a decent budget is at the core of the purchase.
Used Kei cars and trucks from Japan can run you up from $6000 to $12000 for a clean and reliable example. For many splurging on a forbidden fruit they could have for a long time is absolutely worth it.