Kei car

Kei car, short for kei-jidōsha (軽自動車 pronounced [keːdʑidoːɕa] "light automobile"), is a class of ultra-compact cars unique to the Japanese domestic market, and is the smallest category of expressway-legal motor vehicles in Japan. Other than passenger cars, Japanese automakers also make microvans and kei trucks within this legal category. The kei category was created by the Japanese government in 1949, to stimulate both car ownership and growth of Japan's car industry. The regulations were revised multiple times until 1998, but since October 1998, the law consistently specifies a maximum vehicle length of 3.4 m (11.2 ft), width of 1.48 m (4 ft 10.3 in), height under 2.0 m (6 ft 6.7 in), and engine displacement under 660 cc (40.3 cu in). A "gentleman's agreement" between Japanese automakers and lawmakers also set a maximum power output of 64 PS (63 hp; 47 kW). With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, kei car owners enjoy lower tax and vehicle insurance rates, leading to a lower overall ownership cost. In most rural areas, they are also exempt from the mandatory shako shōmeisho (車庫証明書), which are certificates of parking space ownership that Japanese car buyers are required to provide before they are allowed to legally buy a motor vehicle, as public street parking is generally restricted in Japan. Kei cars are favored by both the elderly and younger demographics, including young families, due to their affordability and ease of use. As a result, kei cars have been very successful in Japan since the 1960s, consisting of over one-third of domestic new car sales in fiscal year 2016, after dropping from a record 40 percent market share in 2013. To reduce their market dominance, Japan increased taxes on the category by 50% in 2014. Despite this, in 2018, seven of the ten top-selling models were kei...