After visiting Japan, President Donald Trump was inspired. Not by the finances or politics or anything relevant. No, he was inspired by the kei cars.
And I have to say, it’s the first time I feel I’ve related to Trump myself.
Kei cars are a Japanese car category that has pretty strict regulations. Being cute is apparently not enough to be considered a kei car, sorry NA Miata. Instead, kei cars have to be ultra-compact and low-cost, with a strict limit on dimensions and engine size. Even more specifically, kei cars have to be no longer than 11.2 feet, under five feet wide, and less than 6.6 feet in height. The engine displacement is restricted to 660cc maximum, with most kei cars producing 63 horsepower in stock form.
I recently saw an Autozam AZ-1 on the track and it was beyond adorable… And very, very slow. Still, I’m with Trump on this one: Why aren’t there more cute, little guys in America?
President Trump Asks the Important Questions: Why Doesn’t the USA Have More Cute Cars?
President Trump has said many questionable things in the last few months, both online and in person. But he recently went on a tangent about kei cars while talking with reporters that I can relate to completely. I, too, randomly discuss kei cars when nobody asked.
“They’re very small, they’re really cute, and I said, ‘How would that do in this country?'” Trump stated.
Right??
America, what say you?
Kei Cars Likely Don’t Have a Place in the United States
While we’re not saying your decades-old Cuppacino is a menace to society that must be crushed at a junkyard, kei cars will likely not become a staple of America’s modern car industry. You can import kei cars that are over 25 years old, but don’t expect carmakers to start cranking them out and putting them in new car lots.
President Trump was told that kei cars don’t pass the United States safety standards, especially the crash test standards. If a kei car collided with an F-150 pickup, it would likely crumple completely. And this scenario could very well happen, since most of America is fixated on large pickups and oversized SUVs right now.
Per usual, Trump was not deterred by the rules. He is now inquiring how Transportation Security Sean Duffy can make it possible for carmakers to create kei cars specifically for American roads. It seems a bit far-fetched for the State’s culture, however, with so many large vehicles on the road and so many highways that are likely too fast for the kei car to legally drive on. Car brands would also see no profit in creating these tiny cars for a consumer base that daydreams about lifted trucks and vans with four rows of seating.
What’s funny, however, is that having these tiny little guys on the road would keep former President Joe Biden’s lower fuel economy goals alive despite Trump’s recent decision to eliminate these targets.
I, for one, am behind President Trump. Where are all the cute, little cars? This is an important matter that must be solved at once!