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For more than sixty years, very small and light pickup trucks have been produced in Japan and, due to their affordable prices and generally low insurance rates, they are widely used in various commercial activities. In jargon they are called kei truck o they are: where means “light”, in Japanese. They fall into the category Kei-jidoshawhich includes many smaller models that comply with the legislative limits imposed by the Japanese government (maximum length 3.4 metres, maximum power 64 horsepower, maximum displacement 660 cubic centimetres) and are therefore taxed much less than normal cars.
For much of its history, that of the kei truck (and kei cars in general) was a closed market: they were considered vehicles designed exclusively for Japan, where they still represent more than a third of total car sales today. For a few years, however, these trucks, especially second-hand ones, have begun to attract enthusiasts in the United States: owners of small agricultural businesses are especially interested in purchasing them, who consider them an economical and convenient alternative to expensive and bulky production trucks. American.
I kei truck They also have a following among mountain lovers, who use them to transport ski and climbing equipment, and are also enjoying a certain success on social media, where groups have been created that extol their virtues and describe them with a certain fanaticism. The stereotype of the American citizen who is obsessed with kei truck has become the object of derision on some Instagram pages, such as Kei Trucks Appreciation Society.
As he wrote Bloombergthis interest has generated an opening of the market for kei truck unthinkable until a few years ago. According to Japanese government data cited by the newspaper, exports of these vehicles have quadrupled in the last ten years, and the demand mainly concerns the used market. More than 7,500 were imported into the United States from Japan last year kei truck: This is a 300 percent increase from five years ago, when about 1,800 were imported.
The popularity that the kei truck are having in the United States is not looked upon favorably by the local governments of some states, who consider them unsuitable for circulation due to their small size, which would not guarantee an adequate standard of safety in the event of accidents. Some states – such as Florida, North Carolina and Wyoming – have banned their use on highways, while others – such as Georgia, Maine and New York – have begun banning licenses and withdrawing registrations.
Then there is a problem of emissions: since according to American legislation vehicles older than 25 years are exempt from the bulk of safety and emissions regulations, very often vehicles kei truck imported into the United States are very old vehicles, in some cases dating back to the 1990s, which have emissions that are no longer up to standard.
In general, understand how to manage this sudden growth of kei truck It’s a problem. In very few states there is a law that explicitly says that driving kei truck It’s illegal, and most DMVs have some discretion as to how to deal with it. David McChristian, founder of Lone Star Kei, a group created to ensure the freedom to drive and own kei truck across the country, said efforts to prevent their circulation in the United States would be a result of pressure from local truck manufacturers, who fear that their spread could progressively exclude them from the market.
