Kei Car
Mitsubishi Motors halts some SUV sales in Japan as MPG scandal grows
Japan's Transport Ministry claims automaker overstated fuel economy for eight models.
Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan
Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan.
Mitsubishi cheated on Japanese fuel economy test since 1991
Mitsubishi admits that it didn't use a portion of Japan's mandated fuel economy test since 1991, which allowed the company to inflate vehicle fuel economy.
Daihatsu Copen looks great as a shooting brake or coupe
Toyota's budget brand Daihatsu is heading to the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon with concept coupe and shooting brake versions of the little Copen roadster that make us wish we could get one even more.
Suzuki, please come back and bring the Alto Works with you
There's a small part of us that wants Suzuki to come back to America, and bring with it enticing little hatchbacks like the new turbocharged Alto Works you see here.
Suzuki recalls 2 million cars globally
Suzuki is recalling 2 million cars around the world, but the vast majority of the affected models were sold in Japan, and include a number of popular kei cars, as well as Japanese-built Chevy Cruze sedans.
Honda rolls out production S660 roadster in Japan
Honda has revealed the production-spec S660 roadster, a spitting image of the concept revealed 16 months ago, ready to pick up the Beat's mantle and hit showrooms... but sadly only in Japan for the time being.
Suzuki Alto goes back to basics in Japan
Suzuki rolls out a new retro kei car with the best fuel economy of any non-hybrid in the Japanese domestic market.
Honda rolls out new N-Box Slash kei car in Japan
Honda may not compete with the likes of the expanding Fiat 500 and contracting Mini families in the North American or European markets, but back home in Japan it has a whole series of retro hatchbacks, grouped together as part of its N series. And now there is one more.
Nissan, Mitsubishi team up for $14,000 electric car
Last November, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Mitsubishi announced a partnership to build some tiny electric vehicles for the Japanese market. Well, the partnership is going to build more than that (like the Nissan Dayz, pictured above in Roox form, and the Mit
Daihatsu Copen reborn with configurable bodywork [w/video]
It was a little bittersweet when the original Daihatsu Copen ended production in 2012. Granted, we never got the tiny roadster in the US, but knowing that it was out there somewhere just made the automotive landscape a little better. It didn't take the Japanese automaker long to see the error of its ways, because concepts for a
Why Japan's government is looking to curb its adorable kei car market
Each region around the world has its stereotypical vehicle. The US has the pickup and Europe the five-door hatchback; but in Japan, the kei car reigns supreme. These tiny cars are limited to just 660cc of displacement but they've also come with lower taxes to make them more affordable. To make of the most of their small size, they've often had quite boxy styling like the Honda N-One shown above, and because they're Japanese, t
WSJ asks whether Japan's kei cars are a trade barrier
We get very excited here at Autoblog when someone brings up a rare car from the Japanese domestic market, even if they are distantly related to cars we can buy in the US, like the Toyota Crown Royal Saloon Hybrid our own Sebastian Blanco tested last month. But while we think often about JDM cars, the reality is that the market is far different than
2014 Nissan Dayz Roox is the littlest high-roof van you ever did see
Even average production cars from Japan often seem very conceptual to US eyes. Throw in typical, nonsensical-quasi-English-words name like "Dayz Roox" and you'd be forgiven for thinking this Nissan box on wheels was still a designer's dream. But the fact is that the Nissan Dayz is a model currently on sale, and this Roox version is the latest take on the micro-van, which is a popular segment in Japan.
Honda S660 Concept portends a new kei car for 2015
Apart from a tiny, one-paragraph mention in a press release about the Honda show stand in general, the company hasn't said very much about its completely charming S660 Concept. The model would seem very much to be a look ahead at a possible successor to the Beat kei car for Japanese customers, though we've been told that
Renault-Nissan, Mitsubishi JV will make global electric 'kei' car
The collaboration agreement announced this week by Renault-Nissan Alliance and Mitsubishi will include the co-development of an electric vehicle based on the tiny "kei car" compact platform. Details are vague, but the companies say the car will eventually be s
Daihatsu FC凸DECK concept gives everyone the finger
Japanese kei cars may be defined by their small size, but we know and love them more for their wacky shapes and names. And the all-new Daihatsu FC凸DECK nails all three. Heading for a debut in a few weeks at the Tokyo Motor Show, this diminutive concept grabbed our attention not only with its quasi cab-over semi-truck styling but also its snicker-worthy name, which includes a symbol