Move over, Ford and Chevy: Kei trucks are pulling up as customers opt for smaller, cheaper vehicles
Move over, Ford and Chevy: Kei trucks are pulling up as customers opt for smaller, cheaper vehicles
The Japanese-made trucks have gained a cultlike following, attracting small-business owners seeking affordable alternatives to traditional pickup trucks.
I'm sorry, why the fuck aren't these street legal in more than half of the states? The article says something about safety, but these are street legal all over Europe where we have stronger safety regulations.
Also there's something I can't put my finger on about the journalist choosing a hero image of the van losing its cargo.
Been to Japan lately and can share some photos. There are even Kei Fire Trucks, for the many small roads with wooden houses and shrines etc.
And then there are hundreds of different kei truck and van types for all purposes, even concrete mixers.
Also, private houses in cities are often small and space-saving and so are the cars. A sensible use of public space – and cars only park on private property or rented parking spaces.
Reminder that due to the chicken tax, these vehicles have to be 25 years old before they can be imported.
The big problem is, these vehicles were built to 30 year old safety standards - no vehicle from the 1990's (except maybe a SAAB, and even then they're not strong enough anymore and will fail a small offset frontal) can compete with a modern car in safety requirements.
There is also the fact that these vehicles have been around for 25 years, and have that amount of age and wear on their platform - they won't be as strong as they originally were off the production line.
Besides taking way less space on the road or while parking, you'll only have to lift your stuff half the way up to the RAM or something like it. I personally like not breaking my back.
smaller, cheaper
Just say better.
They are better vehicles and the ad campaigns for 'bigger, more expensive' vehicles are finally hitting their stupid wall.Now lets do SUVs next.
So people are tired of paying 60 to 90k for an f150 or a Dodge ram? You don't say!
Here's where they're legal, and exactly how legal they are in the US
Many of the "legal" states aren't all that legal, really.
I'd honestly love one of these, depending in if it's powerful enough to haul a decently heavy load up a hill.
I woodwork as a hobby, and have been wanting an old truck for a while, but the used truck market is pretty insane right now. All I want is an old beater with a reliable engine and a standard sized bed that's capable of hauling sheet goods (4ft wide) without hassle.
This would check those marks. If the price was right, I'd happily drive this little guy around.
Instead, the market is full of ridiculously sized pickups with tiny truck beds because either the cab is huge, or they waste so much space making the truck look "tough" that the beds shrink narrower than 4ft.
As long as I can get a small truck in a V6 so that I don't stall out hauling something heavy like cement bags, I'm in.
How's my /keitruck subreddit doing? I got banned from reddit as a different username at the IP level so I have no clue. I was thinking about starting it again here on our own instance but it's been a struggle with de-googlelizing my life at the moment. But maybe someone else has one already? Time to leave that rotten place behind.
Man, I always thought the bigger SUVs looked like those oversized clown shoes, but the size comparison picture does drive home just how much dead air is in them.
I had a 2016 GMC Sierra. Cost $100 a week to take my son to daycare. Sold it and got a Sienna Hybrid and a classic truck for hauling shit. I hate all the technology in cars these days. My van tracks me and in the app it says "this feature can be disabled but the tracking will not stop" or to that affect. Garbage.
Mazda B series ready for a come back!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
“My Kei truck can do everything a midsize pickup can do,” said Tyler Hiestand, who owns a home remodeling business in Pennsylvania.
Justin Merriman, who owns a brewery in San Antonio, uses his 1997 Suzuki Carry to haul kegs and cater events.
Most recently, Rhode Island state Sen. Louis P. DiPalma proposed legislation that would prevent the registration of additional Kei trucks in the future while grandfathering in current ones.
Because the trucks don’t meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, they’re legal to import only 25 years after having been manufactured.
Most states have no recorded law about Kei trucks, which often leaves guidelines up to local motor vehicle departments.
Even in states where Kei trucks are expressly legal, like Maine or Kansas, they’re often prohibited from highways or interstates where speeds exceed 55 mph.
The original article contains 667 words, the summary contains 135 words. Saved 80%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Because there’s a market for functional, minimalist vehicles that do a job and don’t require 8 or more years of payments. Trucks have become status symbols more often than not.
Okay I want a broke down one of these, an crate electric motor, and a lifepo4 battery pack
I just want a Kei car in Germany
We have these trucks in Taiwan. It's quite literally the majority of the trucks on the road. These things are not allowed on the highways because a crash in them will result in likely death.
Instead they are only allowed on local roads where our speeds don't reach anything more than 40km/hr. Even then, the crashes I have seen in them, the driver is always hurt.
I know Lemmy likes to dream about owning a kei truck. But keep in mind that these trucks are not safe in crashes. They were never designed with the speeds that Americans see on a daily basis.
How about an e-GMP version?
KIA*
Nah I'm good.
I currently drive on a daily basis a Toyota Corolla.. I purchased it for the sake of saving as much money as possible overall with said vehicle. I'm 6'0 245lbs - not obese mind you... and I'm genuinely tired of getting in and out of that car. Absofkinlutely NO way am I buying another sedan. Next vehicle is a big boy full sized SUV or pickup truck. I want to climb into my vehicle not damn near tear my knee just trying to get into my vehicle.
