Minicar craze sweeps Japan.

[xcel]

"Japanese thinking about driving cars has changed a lot. It's no longer a big status symbol. It's more about getting from place to place."

Hans Greimel - AP - July 27, 2007

Suzuki's Wagon R has not only been Japan's best-selling minicar for the past three years, it is the country's best-selling car, period. MR Wagon consists of a 660cc. - 3 Cylinder Turbocharged 64hp ICE mated to a 4-speed automatic. The MR Wagon Sport sells for a little over $10K US Dollars.

TOKYO - Japanese carmakers are once more proving that small sells big.

After first pioneering the gas-sipping compact, then subcompact, the country's auto companies are scoring again with another downsizing — the so-called "minicar."

Tiny, cheap and super fuel-efficient, minicars are essentially motorcycle-sized engines on four wheels. But demand for these runty runabouts is anything but petite. Last year, minicars racked record sales in Japan and now account for more than a third of all new cars sold annually here. The automakers have no immediate plans for mass export of the minicars, but some analysts predict they may eventually catch on in developing economies like India and China.

At a time of soaring oil prices, it's little surprise Japanese drivers are turning to more wallet-friendly rides, just as Americans are abandoning their lunky sport utility vehicles. But perhaps only in a country famed for its "small-is-beautiful" culture of pocket electronics and bonsai trees could the trade-ins be so diminutive.

Known as "kei," or light, cars in Japanese, minis are limited to an engine size of up to 660 cubic centimeters — less than half the size of a Honda Civic — and restricted by law to being no bigger than 11.2 feet long and 5 feet wide … [Read More]

[lightfoot]

That thing is cute! That hood scoop makes me laugh. Wonder what mpg we could get out of it.

[ILAveo]

Originally Posted by lightfoot

That thing is cute! That hood scoop makes me laugh. Wonder what mpg we could get out of it.

So that's what happens when you leave the minivan in the dryer too long ....I think we don't get these in the USA because of highway safety regs. We have what amount to mini-trucks (e.g. the Deere Gator) but they aren't street legal.

[laurieaw]

finally......someone getting back to using getting from place to place as the use for a car, rather than it being a huge, road gobbling status symbol. there may be hope yet.

[roadrunner]

I wish they sold that car in the USA, I like it!

[BailOut]

*sigh*

We never get the good **** in the U.S. We missed out on the diesel Smart cars, the NEV movement, the 1.0L Yarii, the factory Prius EV button... and now the minicars.

[MnFocus]

Even if the U.S. would get them ...somehow the insurance industry would make them un-affordable to own and drive . Personally ,I'd love a Kei car -like this Scoobie R1 Uh Huh ! Yeah bring it to me !

[c0da]

I don't understand why we don't have cars with small engines with turbo for better FE. Instead they need to put 200hp into small cars so they can look good on paper. bleh.

[Earthling]

When BMW got back into producing cars after WW II, they used motorcycle engines. And those engines were of modest horsepower, even for motorcycles.

The Prius strikes a nice balance of fuel economy with good performance for passing and entering an Interstate.

If these turbo-charged mini-cars provide decent performance when you need it, then we have another valid choice for good fuel economy.

Harry

[Fenrir]

Americans insist on learning the hard way. Give it 5 to 10 years, and minicars will be popular here because they'll be the only thing most people will be able to afford to fill up. Well, minis, and hybrids.