Kei car, K-car, or keijidosha (literally "light automobile") (keːdʑidoːɕa), is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans ("microvans") and pickup trucks. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle. blank">"Minicars: Cheap and Cheerful", Peter Nunn, JAMA, January-February 2005 "Owning a Car in Japan", ALTs in Sendai These standards originated in the times following the end of the _Second World War, when most Japanese could not afford a full-sized car yet had enough to buy a motorcycle. To promote the growth of the car industry, as well as to offer an alternative delivery method to small business and shop owners, kei car standards were created.
The cars feature yellow licence plates, earning them the name "yellow-plate cars" (black numbers on yellow background for private use and yellow numbers on black background for commercial use) in English and Spanish-speaking circles. blank">Automobiles, jetsetjapan.com "Shakoshomei 車庫証明(proof that you have a place to park your car)", Driving in Tokachi, city.obihiro.hokkaido.jp Because the regulations only restrict physical size, engine displacement and power, manufacturers have introduced many advanced technologies to the class. As a result, kei cars are often available with forced induction engines, automatic and CVT transmissions, front-, rear- and four-wheel drive, _hybrid drivetrains, air conditioning, GPS and many other features.
Daihatsu, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Smart, blank">"Small Things in Good Packages", Jerry Garrett, _New York Times, November 25 2007 Subaru, and Suzuki all manufacture kei cars, while Nissan sells badge engineered versions of Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki models under licence. blank">"Nissan Adds Third Minicar to its Lineup in Japan", Edmunds.com, June 6 _2005
