Trump Wants Kei Cars Because He Thinks They Are Cute

 

Once again, President Trump is showing that he has absolutely no understanding of the reality of the American automotive market. While it is well known that Americans like big vehicles, he is opening the door to importing Japanese kei cars simply because he found them cute during his recent trips to Japan and South Korea.

• Trump asked the Secretary of Transportation to remove restrictions on importing kei cars
• Kei cars have a maximum output of 63 horsepower
• They would have to be built in the United States

First, it is important to clarify what a “kei car,” or “kei jidōsha” in Japanese, actually is. It is a category of microcars unique to Japan and sold in other parts of Asia, created to offer ultra-compact, economical vehicles adapted to the country’s extremely dense urban environment. These vehicles of all kinds are defined by strict limits on dimensions and power and, in return, benefit from tax and regulatory advantages. The dimensions are very small, as is the allowed power:

Maximum length: 3.40 m

Maximum width: 1.48 m

Average height: around 2.00 m

Maximum displacement: 660 cc

Maximum power: about 63 hp

In the land of the Ford F-150 and the Hummer, there is currently only one way to get a kei car in the United States, and that is to wait 25 years, and even then only in certain states, such as Texas. Otherwise, it is impossible to register these tiny city cars in the country.

“They are cute”

That was until December 3, when Trump, during his “press conference” in the Oval Office where he discussed the easing of CAFE standards, launched into his admiration for kei cars. “They are very small, they are really cute, and I said to myself: ‘How would that work in this country?’” In the same breath, he asked his Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to abolish restrictions on the commercialization of these vehicles in the United States. Of course, he is well aware that the brands associated with kei cars are Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi, and that they are all built in Japan or elsewhere in Asia.

He wants to make it possible for manufacturers who wish to build these microcars in the United States. He added, “They are very beautiful, less expensive and they really give people the opportunity to have a car, a new car instead of a car that might not be so good.”

Clearly lacking knowledge when it comes to automobiles, he does not understand why kei cars are not imported. Yet the reasons are obvious, particularly safety. These cars are not designed to meet the very strict crash standards imposed in North America. Once again, the Trump administration could easily brush aside these standards and jeopardize the safety of the American public.

A financial fiasco in the making

We can look at the idea of microcity cars from Mercedes-Benz with the Smart, or Toyota with the iQ. These are two vehicles that appear on the long list of automotive failures in the United States. It is difficult to see how a new generation of even less powerful cars could succeed in the market.

Even looking at slightly larger vehicles, subcompact cars have all disappeared. The last one on the list, the Nissan Versa, will leave at the end of 2025. Does he really believe that something even smaller will be a success?

In today’s world, with all the economic uncertainties for which the Trump administration is largely responsible, it is unthinkable to see the Japanese or even the Americans jumping into this segment. It would be a financial fiasco. What is most disturbing is seeing Jim Farley, the head of Ford, nodding in approval behind the president.