The Kei-class or "Kei Jidosha" as they say in Japanese is the smallest class of cars on the roads in Japan. They came about in the late 1950's because of regulations that enabled these small, fuel sipping cars to evade many of the expensive taxes and fees associated with driving in Japan. To this day they are substantially cheaper to operate than anything other than a scooter or small motorcycle. In 2004 23% of cars owned are Kei-class and a whopping 57% of trucks are Kei-class.

Since 1955 at their inception the specifications were modified over the years finally leaving us to October of 1998 when we got the specs we still have – 3.4m of length, 1.4m of width, max of 2m of height and an engine displacement of 660cc (.4L) or less.

This brings us to the late 80’s and early ‘90s generation of the species. Those k-cars were arguably the best of the breed. Their ingenious makers went all out in the creativity department and managed to apply most of the automotive science then known to them, squeezing all that knowledge into these micro machines.

It's hard to truly "get" these cars without first driving them and it's easy to confuse their lack of size for a lack of ability. Most of these cars are able to nestle comfortably side-by-side in just one standard parking spot. Yet, most have turbochargers, superchargers, 3 cylinders, multi port valves, limited slip differentials, and sometimes rear mid-ship engines, all characteristics rarely found but highly sought after in the North American market.

Even though these cars have never been offered for sale in our market, KeiZen Auto can now offer you the opportunity of owning your own.