Everyone I know has been begging for smaller cars for years. Idk why everyone thinks people don't want them. No one said they didn't want them it was just decided for us by some CEOs. That seems to be how all of the opinions of "Americans" are formed. Same way the CEO of my company says we all love to go into an empty office and do all of our work online. It's just bullshit

I guarantee if vehicles were properly regulated here, and the Big 3 here had to suffer actual consequences for their piss-poor choices, smaller cars would be a more popular choice.

I already love them

I have wanted a Kei truck since I first saw one. It's me sized and I love them.

Most Americans aren't like me, but I love my Smart car. I got into it late, I thought the cars were really goofy and stupid when they hit the scene. It's now my favorite car of all that I've owned, including my previous Porsche Boxter S. The Smart car was $6k used, it costs a little over $20 to fill up with gas, the 6 gallon tank takes just under a minute. It's still a manual which I love and it's so easy to drive. There is no extended hood so you never worry about scraping things when turning. The turning radius is insane by the way; the wheels turn to almost 90 degrees. I only need 1.5 lanes to make a U-turn and the power steering and clutch is very light. It also goes plenty fast which I was concerned about, I don't feel scared driving on the highway in it at all. It really doesn't feel small when you're in it until you look behind and remember that the car just ends as far as your arm can reach. Smarts are made by Mercedes so they're good quality. It's a shame they were discontinued in the US, but I'm not surprised at all.

Honda fit owners were born ready!!

As soon as they figure out how to make them super loud and roll coal.

Why leave it to car brains to determine if they like it? The people driving F350 GMC Yukon zero visibility death machines will never. Too bad.

Regulate the size of cars and stop pedestrian/biker deaths.

Sounds good to me, I'd love a cheap small electric car

So, they are forcing their US shit cars an European roads, but won't show competition in their on land?

Typically trump to play the victim and saviour here

Powerful rich conservative men literally will be unable to deal with this, it is too threatening to the spiritual symbol of the The Big American Car which underpins the rest of their theology.. so no Americans will not be allowed to learn to love tiny cheap Kei cars whether because of literal forceful separation and denial or by rich conservatives stoking culture wars about it through their shitbag rightwing influencer mouthpieces... no there is very little chance this future will be allowed until it reaches a point somewhere indefinitely far down the road where the advantages become undeniable.

How about huge overweight and expensive kei cars?

It's not that they want to ... as the economy grows worse for poor people, they will have to use small cars.

Who the hell can afford a big fat ugly shiny new truck right now? You can't drive it, you can't fuel it, you can't insure it, you can't park it, you can't maintain it, you can't store it ... and it's a liability that is expensive when it breaks and it is more likely to be vandalized or stolen.

I don't live in a big city ... but I still want a small vehicle because it's cheaper to fuel, cheaper to operate, can be parked anywhere and they're easy to fix if broken (and even if they do get damaged, I really don't care what they look like as long as it still operates) ... and no one would want to steal it unless they wanted the scrap metal from it.

What, a cheap car that is perfect for commutes and milk-runs, gets stellar mileage, zero unnecessary frills, with no over-engineered electronic crap? I can't even get a new car w/o a crappy electronic center console if I throw money at the dealership. Who cares if it's like driving a mail truck: sign us up!

Many of us want these, but cannot obtain them new or even register them in our home state(s).

That said, ending the Chicken Tax might turn companies like Ford inside-out in the process. It's an economic Jenga tower of automotive suck over here.

Don’t kei cars fail us crash tests?

I generally like mine (Nissan Dayz Rooks HS ~2018). My two biggest complaints are lack of power for certain driving (like with 3 passengers and luggage uphill) but some have turbochargers, and secondly that the smaller footprint does make them feel much more flimsy in windy conditions. I've been blown around the expressway and felt like I was going to get blown over on a couple of occasions. Otherwise, I am quite happy. I still try to walk/train/cycle/motorcycle first, but sometimes that's not possible or practical.

Can USians stop being dependent on cars for transportation?

Not unless they’re made out of titanium; half of the other vehicles are monster trucks.

Give them European fuel prices, and they'll convert quickly.

If they have to pay the same prices for fuel as the rest of us, they will

I was sort of interested in a Kei electric minivan for a while. The size is fine, they are cheap, and if you don't drive much they need no fuel or electricity. You can put enough solar panels on the roof that the van self-recharges in the parking lot enough for a few local grocery runs per week or that sort of thing. Top speed is just 40mph though. It would be great as a 2nd car but with just one, I needed something freeway capable.

Those tiny cars don't meet American safety standards. And Americans don't like bottom-of-the-barrel cars at any price.

Never.

While not in Japan, I live in Taiwan and we have some Japanese imported Kei cars.

The majority of Taiwan driving is city. We don't have many highways.

In Japan and Taiwan, esp in the city, the average speed is like 35mph. Even on the highway, most cars are not driving faster than 55mph.

In some parts America, it's mostly highway driving. Those Kei cars are death traps.