Oh man! Why can’t we import these to the US???? (Ok, you can but the cars must be 25 years old or older. Right, I don’t think there are any cars that old anywhere in Japan!) I saw these cars in Japan and thought they would be the perfect solution to traffic congestion and lack of parking. You can see from the above phcture (that’s me by the way) that even a van has a tiny footprint.
These cars were never available new in the US or Canada, but Canadian law allows their importation if they are 15 years old and pass a safety inspection before leaving Japan and one when they get in Canada. US law also allows them to be imported, but only if they are 25 years old, so de facto they are banned.
Japanoid offers exactly that: 15 years old cars, usually with a low amount of kms (since the Japanese drive less than Canadians on average), many have souped-up motorcycle engines with sophisticated turbos, superchargers and dual overhead cams, and most get fuel economy in the 50 mpg range. Prices seem to hover between CAN$5000 and CAN$7000.
Many Americans want low cost, fuel efficient cars.
Kei cars are a special class of cars in Japan. They are limited to an engine size of 660cc and have vehicle size, but not weight, restrictions. They are made by many different Japanese car companies and they are mature designs that are reliable, and get up to 60 mpg. They can cost less than $10,000.
If these cars were converted to hybrids, they might get 100 mpg.
However, they can’t be driven in the U.S. because they can’t meet U.S. crash test requirements.
I believe that adding my crumple box invention to a Kei car will allow it to pass U.S. safety requirements. Then it could be driven in the U.S.
Some American auto companies have ties to Kei car manufacture. They could make these cars.
Please help me promote this idea.
See my website http://www.safersmallcars.com