Kei Cars: Tiny Japanese Marvels from Japanoid

Kei cars, or “K cars,” are tiny Japanese vehicles that are shorter than 3.4 meters long powered by engines no larger than 660cc (with exceptions made for vans, cargo or otherwise). If you’ve ever been to Tokyo, you’ll see that kei cars exist for reasons beyond the Japanese love for all things small; the streets and alleyways of that ancient city are barely wide enough to allow one kei car to pass, let alone two.

If you’re a Canadian, you can now purchase kei cars from Japanoid, as vehicles at least 15-years-old are legal for importation. United Statesians like myself are clean out of luck—a shame, since I can think of no better vehicle to own in New York than a beautiful supercharged Subaru Sambar city van, with full-time four-wheel-drive and a 50MPG fuel economy, all packed into a vehicle small enough to keep in a Brooklyn backyard.

Kei cars include more than just bitchin’ vans, though: The Mazda AZ-1 Autonam [pictured] has a turbocharged Suzuki engine, disk brakes, gull-wing doors and serious handling with the looks of a people-sized penny racer. Lucky Canadians!