Sitting in the boxy car is a bit like sitting in a bus.
(Photo: Bloomberg)
Tokyo While small cars are dying out in Germany, Japan is showing just how great the potential of mini cars can be. The bestseller was the Honda N-Box in the Asian country in 2022 with 202,197 models sold. It belongs to the class of so-called kei cars, a counter-model to the faster-stronger-bigger-more-expensive thinking of many western car manufacturers.
According to Japanese law, cars in this class can be just 3.40 meters long, 1.48 meters wide and up to two meters high. The displacement is a maximum of 660 cubic centimeters and the engine has an output of 64 hp.
The cheapest minis cost less than 10,000 euros. For comparison: In Germany, the average price in the car market is 41,000 euros. No wonder, then, that Kei-Cars occupy five places on the list of the ten best-selling Japanese cars – and that consistently. Because what began in Japan 60 years ago as a poor car has developed into a full-fledged car.
Creative use of space attracts customers
In fact, Japanese manufacturers have learned to creatively squeeze comfort, safety and even a little profit from small dimensions. Let’s start with comfort and stick with the N-Box: in one configuration it offers rear legroom like the Mercedes S-Class because the seats can be pushed far back at the expense of boot space. If you want to invite more, push the individual seats forward or fold them down.
Also, sitting in the boxy car is a bit like sitting in a bus. At a height of 1.70 meters (with two-wheel drive) or 1.80 meters (with four-wheel drive), the chauffeur can easily carry cylinders.
In the weekly column we take turns writing about innovation and economic trends in Asia.
(Photo: Klawe Rzeczy)
Then there’s the wheelbase. At 2.52 meters, it is almost as tall as the VW Polo, which is 60 centimeters longer. The high and narrow construction ensures a fluctuating driving behavior in curves. But you are generally not allowed to drive faster than 100 kilometers per hour on Japan’s motorways.
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Speaking of security: Honda’s top model offers similar driving assistants as Japanese mid-range cars. With the combination of cruise control, spacers, automatic braking (also for pedestrians), traffic sign recognition and lane departure warning, you can let the car steer you on the freeway, as long as you keep at least one hand on the steering wheel.
Anyone who fully equips the small car, including tuning options, comes to 16,600 euros. But regardless of whether it is a beginner or top model: the crash behavior should no longer be similar to that of a shoebox. In Japanese crash tests, even kei cars often get the full five stars.
miniature concept also works with electric cars
Now to the economy: the margins of the Minis do not reach those of the luxury sedans and premium brands. But the car and motorcycle maker Suzuki, which focuses primarily on micro and small cars in Japan, Asia and India, still achieved an operating margin of 4.1 percent in the auto business in the third quarter.
That’s not a small amount, but it also leaves little room for error – and for the switch to electromobility. That’s why Suzuki, like the other small Japanese car brands Subaru and Mazda, has allied itself with Toyota, which has a kei car in its portfolio with Daihatsu.
car sales
25,000
vehicles
the identical models Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X were sold on the Japanese market in six months of 2022.
Renault partners Nissan and Mitsubishi recently proved that the shrink concept also works for electric cars. In the spring of 2022, they launched a kei e-car, which promptly won Car of the Year. Although the model only has a small battery, it has a low entry-level price of 12,000 euros (after state purchase subsidies).
The Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X models, which are practically identical in construction, already found 25,000 buyers in the approximately six months they were on the market in 2022, which is definitely a plea for mini electric cars.
It’s not just the Japanese who like the miniature concept either. In his car-sharing club, the author of this column has access to 15 cars just a five-minute walk from his home. Most of the time he chooses the kei car.
Of the foreign manufacturers, only the British sports car manufacturer Caterham has discovered the segment for itself. He also offers his super-light cabriolet with a 660 cc engine. These versions are also reported to be selling well outside of Japan.
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