Jalopnik: kei

Honda Motocompo Fits In Your Tiny Trunk!

Mark Arnold — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Tiny Japanese cars from the '70s and '80s are awesome, but can you really fit anything more than a small suitcase or a couple bento boxes in the back? Actually, yes. In fact, back in the '80s, Honda sold the City with a motorcycle in the rear hatch. How did it fit? It transformed!

Yes, the Honda Motocompo could transform by collapsing its handlebars into the seat. After that, it was small enough to be picked up by one person and fit snugly in the rear cargo area, with enough room left for a saxophone, a boombox, and all your tennis equipment. Of course, the City may not be very nimble all loaded down. As for the Motocompo, it had a 49cc two-stroke good for a top speed of about 30mph. Maybe Honda should sell the new Fit with a scooter — you know, since everyone's talking about gas prices and stuff.
[3yen, JapaneseNostalgicCar]

DOTS Geneva: A Tiny Something Or Other

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:45:00 EST

We have no idea what this is, but after the Peel Trident, this is probably the smallest street legal vehicle we've ever seen. And despite our best deciphering and sleuthing efforts, it remains unidentified. F-gobble-de-gook Tech was the best we could get out of it. How can someone get into this thing and feel fine about it? We'd rather take our chances on a regular scoot, at least there you can jump away from a wreck. But hey, this is a convertible and has those fancy, new fangled canvas doors.

We're not modern European traffic law standards scholars, but we're assuming there is a 50 cc quadracycle kind of niche carved out below regular cars as kei cars work in Japan. This particular one has a 50 cc license plate which we assume means a 49 cc scooter motor and you can see the CVT poking out the bottom. I suppose if you don't want to put up with the wind and maybe have an inner ear infection causing vertigo and mild insanity, this makes sense.

Suzuki Palette, the Kei Car for Moms

Wes Siler — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST

We're continually fascinated with the level of innovation and practicality the Japanese are able to stuff into 660cc, 66bhp kei cars. Suzuki's new Palette may not be the most exciting kei car to ever debut, but it scores points on practicality with dual automatic sliding doors and a completely flat load floor. More importantly, it comes in pink, which may just be the most righteous color to paint a kei car there is. Personally, I'm holding out for a pink Nissan Pao and a wardrobe full of '70s safari-style lounge suits.

Down on the Street... in Tokyo: Kei Cars

bwojdyla — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:15:34 EDT

We delayed this as long as possible, putting all of you into crushing fits of suspense, finally we give the people what they want - kei cars. These loveable, huggable, sub-sub-compact cars are popular for many reasons. The biggest reason for the niche is that they avoid pesky tax and insurance rates by virtue of their diminutive size. That size also serves an alternate purpose; Tokyo has roads that would make a hardened San Francisco road warrior break into a cold sweat. Roads are steep, they are windy, and they are incredibly narrow at times. Sometimes the only way to carry crates of Ramen, buckets of fish, and platters of raw horse meat (delicious) to their destinations is with the help of a mighty keitruck. To borrow a phrase from Gizmodo's Adam Frucci, "For all your most adorable cargo."