Why Not a Kei Car in the U.S.?

The N-Box is 133.7 inches long, 58.1 inches wide, 70.5 inches high, and has a 99.2-inch wheelbase.

As those numbers are nebulous, know that a Honda Civic in a driveway near you is 184 inches long, 70.9 inches wide, 55.7 inches high, and has a 107.7-inch wheelbase.

And know these numbers, too:

A Ford F-150 SuperCrew with a 5.5-foot bed is 231.7 inches long, 79.9 inches wide, 77.2 inches high, and has a 145.5-inch wheelbase.

While these comparisons might seem absurd, it is worth noting that during the first three quarters of 2025 Kei cars had 32 percent of the car market in Japan.

32 percent of the car market.

Inovev describes them as “a cornerstone of Japanese mobility culture,” adding, “Their enduring appeal lies in their practicality, compact dimensions, and urban suitability.”

The topic of Kei cars is of interest to the French firm because (1) the European Commission is seriously considering the development of small vehicles for that market, the “E-car,” which is Economical (and not necessarily electric) and (2) the Japan Mobility Show (previously known as the “Tokyo Motor Show”) starts this week and will feature several Kei cars: Mitsubishi Delica Mini, Mitsubishi eK Space, Nissan Roox, Suzuki Vision e-Sky (EV concept), Suzuki mini commercial vehicle (EV concept), Suzuki Xbee, Suzuki Spacia, BYD Kei Car (EV concept).

In late June at the Aspen Idea Festival, Ford CEO Jim Farley said:

“The first thing we have to do is really put all of our capital toward smaller, more affordable EVs. That’s the duty cycle that we’ve now found that really matches. These big, huge, enormous EVs, they’re never going to make money. The battery is $50,000. . . . The batteries will never be affordable.”

Then in early August he announced the “Ford Universal EV Platform.”

In keeping with his comment in Colorado, the platform is “smaller” not small: the first product will be a midsize four-door electric pickup.

The Ford Ranger is a midsize pickup.

To go back to the N-Box, that vehicle is 133.7 inches long compared with the Ranger’s 211.8 inches; it is 58.1 inches wide, compared with the Ranger’s 79.8 inches; it is 71.5 inches high, compared to the Ranger’s 75.8 inches; and the N-Box has a 99.2-inch wheelbase compared with the Ranger’s 128.7 inches.

There’s small. And then there’s not-so-small.

The argument, of course, is that American’s don’t like small vehicles.

In the Ford lineup, the second best-selling vehicle that isn’t an F-Series is the Maverick, which had sales of 120,904 units (the Explorer had sales of 160,929 during the same period).

Compared to the N-Box the Maverick is large (199.2 inches long, 72.6 inches wide, 68.7 inches high, and with a 121.1-inch wheelbase).

Compared to the Ranger—and especially the F-Series, which is enormous—the Maverick is smaller.

And the argument about Americans not liking small vehicles, if we go back to the Civic, through Q3 there were 185,225 sold in the U.S., which is a number that says “like” to me, but again, there is a size issue:

The Civic is four feet longer than an N-Box.

So it is merely smallish.

Another argument is that vehicle manufacturers can make more money on big vehicles.

As Farley points out, this may not hold for big electric vehicles, so this could merely make the production of big ICE vehicles more prevalent.

Through the third quarter of 2025—with the third quarter seeing a big jump in EV sales as consumers wanted to get that $7,500 tax credit—EVs represented 10.5 percent of the U.S. market.

Which makes me think about that 32 percent of the Japanese market that Kei cars have.

A problem, of course, is that in the U.S. there are some 17 million F-Series trucks in operation—as well as a whole lot more Silverados and Rams, Expeditions and Suburbans, too.

I recently spent a week driving a  Mazda MX-5 Miata (154.1 inches long, 68.3 inches wide, 48.6 inches high, and with a 90.9-inch wheelbase) and I must admit that I was acutely aware of what the potential consequences could have been had I stalled it at a light (it had a manual transmission) when I looked in the review mirror and saw only a portion of that F-Series grille. But note that the N-Box is significantly higher than the MX-5, and it has a longer wheelbase. People who own Miatas love them, as I’m sure is the case with N-Box owners.

Many people I know are excited about the prospect of the Slate, a compact truck that has a minimalist design and is smaller than even the Maverick (174.6 inches long, 70.6 inches wide, 69.3 inches high, and with a 108.9-inch wheelbase). Still bigger than the N-Box, but were you to be driving an N-Box, and you encountered a Slate, you wouldn’t feel as though you were in the vicinity of the Incredible Hulk.

Yes, yes, small cars don’t make it in the U.S. Even Honda pulled the plug on the Fit in 2020 (although it is available in other global markets).

But with clever execution and clever marketing I am fairly confident that there could be a use case made for a highly efficient urban vehicle in the U.S. market—especially if this is a truly affordable vehicle, ICE or EV.

As things now exist on U.S. roads, Kei cars are too small for comfort. We saw the not-so-good sales performances of the smart Fortwo and the Scion iQ.

But let’s say that people realize that going to the grocery store or dropping the kids off at school or other daily errands doesn’t necessitate taking the Yukon, that something smaller yet highly space-efficient is a better alternative. Let’s further say that this isn’t just a few people, but a number that is not likely to reach that percentage found in Japan, but at least sufficiently large. Consequently there wouldn’t be the feeling that one could be crushed like a bug by what otherwise seem like behemoths out there.

Will this happen? Unlikely.

Could this happen? Certainly.

Somehow Americans were convinced that they required large, all-wheel or four-wheel-drive vehicles even though the median family size in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 3.13 people, and more than a third of the population live in areas where there is little or no snowfall, and the likelihood of them wanting or needing to drive where roads don’t take them is small (about 10 percent go off-road by choice, and this may occur just once a year).

Given that auto companies spend some $30 billion a year on advertising and marketing, some of that money could undoubtedly persuade people that smaller is better.

It is sometimes the case that an EV is a family’s second car, with a truck or SUV being the other one.

Isn’t it conceivable that a Kei car could serve that secondary function?

(Don’t hold your breath.)

Long-time automotive journalist Gary Vasilash is co-host of “Autoline After Hours” and is a North American Car, Truck & Utility of the Year juror. He is also a contributor to Wards Auto and a juror for its 10 Best Interiors UX and 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems awards. He has written for a number of outlets, ranging from Composites Technology to Car and Driver.

The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.

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[Image: Honda]

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