Would you buy a KEI CAR?

[AviatorTom]

A KEI car, pronounced like “kay”, is a vehicle category in Japan for autos that are at most ~11 feet (340 cm) long, ~4.9 feet (150 cm) wide, and ~6.6 feet (200 cm) tall.

Due to their small size, KEI cars don’t meet current US safety standards, and changes to the vehicles and the regulations would be needed. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNBC that KEI cars are “probably not” for anyone who wants to drive on a freeway, but “if there’s a market for those vehicles, I want to give our manufacturers the opportunity to build those cars.”

[picture and news item courtesy of Morning Brew]

Would you buy a KEI car?

Please vote in the poll.

YES

MAYBE

NO

Something ELSE - please tell

Updates

5 mo

Auto-maker Stellantis has announced that it will offer its tiny Fiat electric car in the US less than a week after President Trump called Japan’s small “kei” cars “really cute.”

[Tarifa]

The car pictured here looks large compared to what I've seen in Japan. Most of the streets in the suburbs around Tokyo are narrow, you would have trouble driving through them and manoevering with a bigger SUV style car. So yes, they have their use. If you are mainly driving in an urban environment, a big car is not a logical choice anyway.

[NathanDavis]

just how safe, or not safe are those vehicles...

as a citizen of BigAssTruckLand in Texas... this is the first thing that comes to mind, lol

there's around 40,000 fatalities per year in the USA, but just 2000 in Japan so... do they build their vehicles under the same code?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/z5P17hf-7dQ

[boundless]

the USA is over 26 times the area of Japan thus a lot more traveling occurs and the USA has 3 times the population so there are more people on the roads traveling... But you probably won't be able to put the pieces together...

[NathanDavis]

@boundless if you want to do the math... sure

per people... it would be around 6 to 1 ratio, more fatalities in the USA

per vehicle... it would be around 4 to 1 rate... also way more fatal in the USA

there are your pieces, have fun

[Lynx122]

@boundless The U. S. basically only has safety standards for the person in the car they don't judge things like if you hit a person with this truck will they land on the hood or under the wheels? If you collide with another car will you kill the person in the other car? These things get tested in other countries but not in the U. S. that's why the fatalities are higher.

[NathanDavis]

@Lynx122 not really no...

generally speaking, cars in the USA are not drastically different from the cars elsewhere when it comes to safety

the one reason why there are more fatalities in the USA is because no vehicle can properly account nor prevent DUI, road rage and our mentality to just "run over" or "hit" whoever we have at range... lol

[Staximus]

You would think these idiots would slow down when driving on ice

[NathanDavis]

@Staximus and it might happen... again

this season, hopefully not

[AviatorTom]

It makes sense that Japan would have fewer accidents and road fatalities than the US. Japan has a lot less vehicles than the US. More importantly, Japanese follow rules, it's part of the oriental culture, while Americans are known for breaking rules, especially while driving.

[RandomGirl42]

I'll answer this the same way I answer poppy's "would you buy" question.

No. I need 4-wd. I live in an area with one tar road. In spring time even that can look similar to the road in the image below.

This is the image below that Random mentioned

[purplepoppy]

I've just checked and they're legal in the UK.

I can't wait to tailgate one in my tractor.

[mysteriousNicholas]

@purplepoppy bit harsh. No one likes a road hog 🐷🐖

[AviatorTom]

@purplepoppy Does your tractor have a gear that goes that slow?

[CalmUntilAbused]

Not any of the well-known ones. They are almost universally box-like - useful for navigating city streets and parking lots, but the fuel (in) efficiency must be incredible. I think they made a sports kei-car (was that Suzuki Cappucino?). That one, I might be interested in.

[FreyaRed]

I think driving with a Ford F150 through narrow old streets in Japan isn't as funny as some people might think. That's why they have such cars with limited engine. I think the limit is 500ccm and those cars are usually cheap. Set new wheels with tires for F150 cost as much as such delivery car.

[ChiTown33]

This question reminds of back during "cash for clunkers" in the wake of the credit crisis of "08" India in "09" came out with a car called the Tata Nano for 100k Indian rupees which came to about 2k 2.5k US dollars. It had a habit of catching fire and couldn't pass US safety standards either.🤣

Would I buy a KEI? I would definitely consider it if I wasn't 6'5". I can't fit very well into American compact cars as is.

[ChiTown33]

It's reminiscent of a Scion xB. And I like those.

[OlderAndWiser]

If those cars aren't street legal in the US, how is it that SMART cars (what I call "dumbass cars") are legal?

[AviatorTom]

@OlderAndWiser The "Morning Brew" news item talked about that...
"By comparison, the last gas-powered Smart Car that was sold new in the US before Mercedes-Benz stopped offering them stateside is too big and powerful to be considered a kei car in Japan, according to Car and Driver."

[OlderAndWiser]

SMART cars are less than 9 feet in length.

[DryGermanGuy]

There is actually a KEI dimensions (smaller) SMART available in Japan.

[exitseven]

There are certain criteria that must be adhered to set up by the DOT. I think the Smart car was designed from the ground up to be sold in the USA. I have to wonder if a side by side is street legal.

[Chazmatazz269]

Probably not. A liter class motorcycle gives me fuel economy and more than enough power to travel highways. It’s also exhilarating. I suppose if someone needed an around-town grocery getter for a small family, it would be sensible.

[RavVid]

Sounds much like European smart cars. If I had enough money for two cars and two car parks I might be tempted but I think they'd be buzz boxes so probably not after a test drive.

[mysteriousNicholas]

@AviatorTom even I, who like small cars, short women, - even I draw the line at some small things for being too small.

Those cars look scary as oversized SUVS

[mysteriousNicholas]

If you think about the dynamics - safety

[Shiprex]

I've seen them and for city life they are perfect spacious and comfortable. US people would need bigger suspension springs for fear of them bottoming out on rocks

[DryGermanGuy]

I‘d rather buy a SMART for 2. I had one as a company car and it was a lot of fun, especially parking and fueling! 😀

[lightbulb27]

only for use around big city and low speeds.

no, death trap around here.

[Nikki1989]

It looks like a death trap, but yes, I could drive one.

[CaptainObivous]

I would, a Kei car would make a nice little city car.

[Massageman]

KEI? no. KIA? certainly. My garage can hold 17 feet of car. In Japan, they are more short on space to put things, even cars.

[Awesomesauce2005]

Mgb gt is a better car if you want small and simple.

[exitseven]

I always buy American and I always drive 8 cylinder pickups or SUVs

[douride2]

There are no Kei dealers anywhere around here so I think not.

[sage2021]

Hell no!! I like my legs too much thank you.

[lilBigPotato]

Don't own to buy any kind of car anytime soon

[Xawyx-2]

I don't drive, so probably no.

[KostasKouvalis]

Ew! Absolutely not

[AngryCarl2]

It's a hard no from me I'm afraid.

[MaTa93]

No, I like sedans

[Raydergman26]

No do to they are ugly and they are just a square

[WonderingManII]

NO...