Kei Trucks, What Are They and Why You Should Know
Tiny Kei trucks, vans and cars are new to the American market, an economical alternative to overpriced, oversized American vehicles, and promise change despite having existed since 1961.
According to rumors on the Internet, the Japanese name, Kei (Pronounced K, as in okay.) is a shortened version of Keiko which means happy child, and I’m happy to state I have recently become the happy owner of a Japanese made Kei truck as seen in the photo above. The real story is that Kei is short for Keijidōsha with Keitora (軽トラ) meaning light truck. From Wikipedia,
“The kei car category was created by the Japanese government in 1949, and the regulations have been revised several times since. These regulations specify a maximum vehicle size, engine capacity, and power output, so that owners may enjoy both tax and insurance benefits. In most rural areas they are also exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle.[1][2][3]
Kei cars have become very successful in Japan, consisting of over one-third of domestic new-car sales in fiscal 2016, despite dropping from a record 40% market share in 2013, after the government increased the kei-car tax by 50% in…