Colorado is considering a bill that would allow people to drive adorable Japanese tiny-trucks on most of the state’s roads. US car manufacturers are fighting against the bill.
Colorado is considering a bill that would allow people to drive adorable Japanese tiny-trucks on most of the state’s roads. US car manufacturers are fighting against the bill.
The ‘kei’ cars and trucks are growing in popularity in the U.S. But many states have explicitly banned them in recent years. A bill at the statehouse would allow them on Colorado roads.
So many conspiracy theories in these comments about why American manufacturers don't build smaller cars.
It's very simple, American Auto Companies are loan companies, not auto manufacturers.
Why would they produce a $10k go-kart with a useable bed when they can get people to finance a $110k SUV at 18% APR?
It's not about oil, or other resources, or even labor and tooling.
It's just much more profitable to put you into debt.
For three years we've used this GEM[global electric motors] LSV[low speed vehicle] as our primary vehicle.
Legally I'm restricted to roads with 35mph speed limits or less, my maximum legal speed is 25mph, I never bothered to modify the top speed. I'm registered & insured in Reno. Driving the GEM is like towing a trailer, if the line of cars forms behind me, I pull over & let them pass Maybe 4 times a year someone rage passes me & generally ends up waiting next to me at the next light
With the lumber rack, beacon & safety triangle, I probably appear to be a city or university worker.The notion that everyone must drive at or above the speed limit isn't true in my experience. Every trip does not require getting on a limited access highway & blasting along at 70 mph. The time saved is minimal, Small mistakes become serious accidents at higher speeds Every vehicle forum I've ever been on has a large contingent of Boys who want their toys to go fast.
The older model Kei mini trucks is too short & narrow to go faster than 40 mph or so safely. Making it wider reduces the ability to lane split :DIt never ceases to amaze me how often I still learn about how much stuff is illegal in the US. All I ever heard growing up was how it's the freedomest country in the world and that the entire concept of its government was built on personal freedoms, and yet it doesn't even seem to be true on its own terms.
This is an echo back to the 70s, when gas prices were high and there were strict controls over Japanese economy cars. Why didn't American manufacturers make smaller cars? Well, "no one wanted them" was the line. Miraculously almost as soon as those same Japanese cars started to be allowed on our streets, suddenly Detroit figured out how to make them and dragged them kicking and screaming into the next eras.
Good companies innovate to keep their customers. Bad companies legislate to keep their customers.
Which one do you think is happening more today?
This passed a couple days ago and will be signed by the Governor today! Takes effect July 2027.
Colorado’s Division of Motor Vehicles also tried to explicitly ban them last year, though it later pulled its proposed rule. Some kei vehicle owners, however, say the state is still trying to keep them off the road by refusing to allow them into the emissions testing process.
As usual it's confusion from news when reporting on public policy. So are they proposing that there be exceptions to emissions rules for these vehicles or not? Because that will make a huge amount of difference in how much I or pretty much anyone else should support this.
There is a reason the guy in the article bought a 1990. The US has a 25 year rule for importing vehicles that weren’t sold here. These became legal in Utah a few years ago because they made off road side by sides legal as long as you made some modifications (horn, turn signals, mirrors, etc). There’s a particular weight range they need to fall between. They also have to hold the same insurance requirements and registration as any other road vehicle. I don’t think they can be used on any road above 45.
In many export markets kei trucks are sold with larger engines than is mandated by the keijidousha regulations of Japan, and come in left hand drive. For example here's the Suzuki Carry in one export market. These international variants might be more suitable for the US market.
I don't know about other country, but this truck rider in my country (Indonesia) are relatively safe.
People usually using this for everything, like portable shop, human transportion on the back (only legal on small village or remote area), etc.
I still remember riding one on the back for scout activities :)
If you go look at most places where people regularly use trucks for actual work in the US like construction or agriculture, pretty much the only ones driving the newest and most luxurious new trucks are the bosses while the actual workers use older and more practical vehicles. And a lot of those fancy trucks have so little bed space that I can hold more shit my friends Subaru Outback. And I say give me the tiny truck that can parallel park.
@dwazou
I live in Japan and I have driven trucks like this a lot. They are common work trucks. I also rented one a few years ago when I moved. They are much safer than American vehicles. First thing is they are lighter and smaller. Getting hit by a pebble going 60mph or a bowling ball going 60mph is much different. The driver is all the way to the front which means if someone or something is in front of the truck, they can see it. They have big vehicles here too. Kei cars are fine. #FuckCarsIf I could have a modern(within the past 10 years) make of a Kei truck in my little Appalachian town I'd be so goddamn happy.
Those are real trucks
I have seen these on the roads out west...like in AZ...so cool
To be fair, they’re death traps at most American road speeds, especially if there’s an American vehicle involved. The smart was the only kei-grade car allowed in North America and it was not too popular (the price didn’t help).
But smaller cars is a great idea.
Probably not on interstates. But for most roads it ought to be okay.
Someone is considering moving to Colorado