A kei truck, kei-class truck, or Japanese mini truck, known in Japan as a ( ), is a style of

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

built to satisfy the Japanese ( ) statutory class of light vehicles. Limited to certain size restrictions—currently no more than long and wide—they are produced by a wide range of Japanese automakers and are available in rear-wheel or

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

. Kei trucks were first introduced in Japan in 1959 and have since been widely used throughout Asia. Since at least the 2020s, they have become increasingly popular in North America, earning a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

for the affordability and reliability.

Design

The kei truck class specifies a maximum size and displacement, which has steadily increased since legislation first enabled the type in 1949. They evolved from earlier three-wheeled trucks based on motorcycles with a small load-carrying area, called ''san-rin'' (三輪), which were popular in Japan before World War II. Since 1998, the law admits a maximum length of , a maximum width of and a maximum height of with a maximum displacement of 660 cc. They weigh about , and when ungoverned, can reach up to . Due to the limits established with regards to vehicle length, most, if not all, current trucks in this classification are built with the "

cab over Cab-over, also known as cab over engine (COE), cab forward or flat face (U.S.), flat nose (Canada), or forward control (UK), is a body style of truck, bus, or van that has a vertical front, "flat face" or a hood (vehicle), semi-hood, with the ...

" approach to maximize load-carrying abilities; the

Suzuki Mighty Boy The Suzuki Mighty Boy is an automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport p ...

is one of the rare historical exceptions. Despite the size and engine displacement, most kei trucks have a bed load capacity of nearly , and the bed dimensions are comparable to crew cab versions of far larger vehicles such as the

Ford F-150 The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford Motor Company since model year 1948 as a range of full-sized pickup trucks — positioned between Ford's Ranger and Super Duty pickup trucks. Alongs ...

. Kei pickups generally have pickup beds with fold-down sides; dump and scissor-lift beds are also available, as are van bodies. For export markets, kei trucks are usually fitted with bigger engines to allow them even more carrying capabilities. An Indonesian version of the originally 543-cc Suzuki Carry was built with a 1.6-L unit – nearly three times larger. They are built with a strong, full, box-frame design with fully enclosed cabs,

seat belt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...

s, windshield wipers,

AM radio AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmi ...

s, heaters, lights and signals, and catalytic converters, and are claimed to have a fuel efficiency of . Typical manufacturers and model names include:

Daihatsu Hijet The , is a cab over microvan and kei truck produced and sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu since 1960. The , a passenger-specific version, was introduced in 1981. Despite the similarities between the Hijet name and Toyota's naming scheme ...

Subaru Sambar The Subaru Sambar is a cabover truck and microvan manufactured and marketed by Subaru as Japan's second truck compliant with the country's strict Keitora (軽トラ) or ''Kei'' vehicle tax class, after the Kurogane Baby. Introduced in 1961 in ...

Suzuki Carry The is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki. The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the . In Japan, the Carry and Every are ''kei cars'' but the Suzuk ...

, Mazda / Autozam Scrum,

Mitsubishi Minicab The is a kei truck and microvan, built and sold in Japan by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 1966. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Mitsubishi Motors#Japan Sales Channels, Galant Shop. It was also sold by China ...

. Honda has ended production and sales of kei trucks with the end of production of

Honda Acty The is a series of cabover microvans and kei trucks produced by the Japanese automaker Honda from 1977 to 2021, designed for the Japanese domestic market (JDM). "Acty" is short for "Activity". The Acty's primary competitors were the Subaru ...

in 2021. The first kei truck to go on sale was the

Kurogane Baby The Kurogane Baby was a '' keitora'' and microvan built by the Japanese Kurogane company from April 1959 until January 1961, sold only in Japan. It was developed by a company of which Kurogane had assumed operations, called Ohta Jidosha, but was ...

, manufactured from 1959 until 1962. Many of these have been produced under license abroad, such as the Piaggio Porter. In South Korea, Daewoo and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

(Kia) produced rebadged Suzuki Carry/ Every, and Daihatsu Hijet vans as Daewoo Labo/Damas, and the Asia/Kia Towner.

Uses

Kei trucks are widely employed throughout Asia in agriculture, fisheries, construction, and even for firefighting. Japanese

progressive tax A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases. The term ''progressive'' refers to the way the tax rate progresses from low to high, with the result that a taxpayer's average tax rate is less than the ...

laws encourage declaring vehicles surplus after a relatively short life; consequently, used kei trucks are often exported in excellent condition with very low mileage. In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, many kei trucks and vans have found a second life as a form of public transportation called "

multicab A multicab is a small light truck in the Philippines that is usually used as public transport. Like jeepneys, they usually have fixed routes, although there are multicabs that serve as taxicabs to take passengers where they want, as a motorized ...

s". These are used Japanese-market kei vehicles, refurbished to meet local requirements by various companies such as Norkis Motors. Used models originally appeared in the US for

off-road Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...

use, typically by farmers and hunters. Since 2010, many common uses in the US include campus maintenance vehicles, landscape and property maintenance, delivery vehicles, agricultural uses, golf courses, construction sites, small-business transportation and advertisement, and private recreational and homeowner use. Fire departments, ambulance companies, and even some police agencies have incorporated kei trucks into their fleets due to the extreme versatility, durability, and low cost compared to other utility type vehicles.

Legal status in United States

As they are street-legal in their home market and most of the world, kei trucks do generally have the standard equipment required for US roadways such as seat belts, approved lighting (headlamps, taillights, reverse and brake lights, turn signals), horn and US-standard "AS1/AS2" safety glass; they must pass state safety inspections where required. They are approved for use on local roads in several states, while other states have special legislation regarding them. Some controversy has arisen regarding their use on US roadways, largely caused by an outdated report by the nonlegislative

American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit trade association based in Arlington, Virginia that operates in the United States and Canada on behalf of motor vehicle licensing and registration agencies. ...

. The report, issued in 2011, raised concerns about the safety and emissions compliance of kei trucks. At the time of the report, available data were limited regarding the vehicles, but the concerns have largely been dismissed, as jurisdictions have become more knowledgeable. State legislation passed during 2008 in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

is the most liberal, prohibiting their use only on interstate highways. , kei trucks are illegal for all road usage in several states with

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

being the most prohibitive. Kei vehicles older than 25 years may be imported into the US with very few restrictions.

Gallery

File:1961 Kurogane Baby truck.jpg, The

was the first kei truck and an early adopter of the cab-over design File:Honda T360.jpg, The bonneted

Honda T360 The Honda T360 is a pickup truck from Honda. Introduced in June 1963, it was Honda's first production automobile, beating the S500 Sports by four months. There was also a larger-engined version called the T500, mainly sold in export. Overview ...

was Honda's first automobile File:Suzuki Carry 405.JPG, The

L40 was designed by

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002. He w ...

File:Subaru Sambar Truck 4WD 0020.JPG, The Subaru Sambar was one of the first kei trucks, here a 1980s model FIle:1994 Mitsubishi Minicab TD 4WD dropside truck, front left (Newark).jpg, The Mitsubishi Minicab (1991–1999 model)

References

External links

Kei truck maintenance and custom from Japan
via

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...