Overview[]
A kei car, (also called k-car, or "kei jidōsha" in Japanese, is the governmental category for the smallest highway-legal motor vehicles, including passenger cars, microvans, and trucks. Kei-cars are designed to comply with Japanese regulations, most prominently a vehicle length and width no more than 3.40 m (11.2 ft) and 1.48 m (4.9 ft) respectively; an engine size no more than 660cc; and a maximum power output of no more than 64 PS (63 BHP). They enjoy both tax and insurance benefits, and in most rural areas are also exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle. This class of basic little cars that receive tax breaks and other lenient treatment, was created in the postwar era, both to stimulate motorization, as well as development of the Japanese car industry.
Kei cars have become very successful in Japan — consisting just over one-third of new car sales. However, in export markets, the genre is generally too specialized and too small for most models to be profitable. Notable exceptions exist though, for instance the Suzuki Alto and Jimny models, which are exported to other regions. Models for export are frequently fitted with bigger engines, and other modifications that deviate from the domestic kei car regulations.
Description[]
Kei cars feature yellow license plates, earning them the name "yellow-plate cars" in English-speaking circles. Because regulations only restrict physical size and engine displacement (and by extension, maximum power), manufacturers have been able to introduce 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, air conditioning, GPS, and many other features.
Daihatsu, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki all manufacture kei cars, while Nissan sells badge-engineered Mitsubishi and Suzuki models, Mazda offers badge-engineered Suzuki models, and Toyota and Subaru offer badge-engineered Daihatsu models.
Examples[]
These are just a few examples of kei cars that have appeared in the Gran Turismo series. The full list can be seen at Category:Kei cars:
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This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Kei Car. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Gran Turismo Wiki, Wikipedia's text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. |