Trump Wants Japan’s Tiny Kei Cars on US Roads

President Trump has expressed a strong admiration for Japan’s tiny kei cars and says he wants to see them manufactured and sold in the United States. During a White House event announcing plans to scale back fuel-efficiency standards, he praised the ultra-compact vehicles, according to Ars Technica. “They’re very small, they’re really cute, and I said, ‘How would that do in this country?’” Trump told reporters. “But we’re not allowed to make them in this country, and I think you’re going to do very well with those cars, so we’re going to approve those cars.” He added that the lower-cost models could help more Americans buy “a brand-new car as opposed to a car that maybe isn’t so great,” as reported by Newsweek.

Trump said he has directed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to pave the way for kei-car production in the U.S. Road & Track noted that Duffy, standing beside Trump at the event, appeared somewhat surprised by the announcement, though he later said the administration has “cleared the deck” for automakers interested in producing “smaller, more fuel-efficient” models. Kei cars—accounting for roughly a third of new car sales in Japan—are designed for tight city streets and are known for their modest price tags. However, Bloomberg points out that they do not meet U.S. safety standards and are widely considered too small and underpowered for American highways dominated by trucks and SUVs.

A few states permit kei cars older than 25 years to be imported, though usually only for limited use or on private property. Still, the overall U.S. market for these vehicles remains small. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tatsuo Yoshida notes that the economics simply don’t support broad adoption. According to Ars Technica, kei cars must not exceed 11.2 feet in length, 4.9 feet in width, or 6.6 feet in height, and their engines are capped at 0.66 liters with a maximum of 63 horsepower.

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