Kei car.html

The Suzuki Wagon R, the best selling kei car in Japan.

Kei car, K-car, or keijidōsha (軽自動車, keijidōsha^? lit. "light automobile") (pronounced /keːdʑidoːɕa/), is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans ("microvans") and pickup trucks ("Kei trucks"), or known as Keitora for both the van and truck. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and in more rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle.¹² These standards originated in the times following the end of the Second World War, when most Japanese could not afford a full-sized car yet had enough to buy a motorcycle. To promote the growth of the car industry, as well as to offer an alternative delivery method to small business and shop owners, kei car standards were created.

The cars feature yellow licence plates, earning them the name "yellow-plate cars" (black numbers on yellow background for private use and yellow numbers on black background for commercial use) in English and Spanish-speaking circles.²³⁴

The Daihatsu Hijet Deck Van.

Because the regulations only restrict physical size, engine displacement and power, manufacturers have introduced many advanced technologies to the class. As a result, kei cars are often available with forced induction engines, automatic and CVT transmissions, front-, rear- and four-wheel drive, hybrid drivetrains, air conditioning, GPS and many other features.

Historical reasons aside, kei cars of today are generally quite fuel efficient due to their small displacement ≤660cc engines, and are valued commuter cars in Japan due to high gasoline prices exacerbated by steep gasoline taxes. The small size requirements of the cars is also a consideration in narrow streets and tight parking spaces in Tokyo, where nearly a third of Japan's population resides, as well as in other cities.

Suzuki Alto Lapin or rebadge version Mazda Spiano.

Daihatsu, Honda, Mitsubishi, Smart,⁵ Subaru, and Suzuki all manufacture kei cars. Nissan sells Mitsubishi and Suzuki models while Mazda sells Suzuki models under licence badge engineering.⁶

Mitsubishi eK alongside its rebadged Nissan Otti twin.

Suzuki Wagon R has captured the top slot for the fifth straight year. The Wagon R was the best-selling keicar in Japan in the first six months of 2008. Including the Wagon R, 6 of the 10 best-selling models in Japan were keicar, an indication that fuel-efficient automobiles continued to be popular on the back of soaring fuel prices. [1]

1 History of regulations
2 Gallery
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

History of regulations

Date	Maximum length	Maximum width	Maximum height	Maximum displacement		Maximum power
Date	Maximum length	Maximum width	Maximum height	four-stroke	two-stroke	Maximum power
8 July 1949	2.8 m	1 m	2 m	150 cc	100 cc	n/a
26 July 1950	3 m	1.3 m		300 cc	200 cc
16 August 1951				360 cc	240 cc
4 April 1955				360 cc
1 January 1976	3.2 m	1.4 m		550 cc
March, 1990	3.3 m	1.4 m		660 cc		47 kW (64 PS) (63 hp)
1 October 1998	3.4 m	1.48 m		660 cc		47 kW (64 PS) (63 hp)