In the middle of a high profile announcement about rolling back federal fuel economy standards, President Donald Trump tossed in a curveball that lit up car-enthusiast circles. Alongside talk of loosening Biden era efficiency rules, he said he wants tiny Japanese style kei cars on American roads and has directed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to start clearing the way for them.
Trump says he fell for the pint sized machines on a recent trip through Asia, describing them as “cute” and “beautiful” and wondering aloud why they cannot be sold here. According to multiple reports, he was told existing safety and regulatory standards effectively keep these vehicles out of the U.S. market, which he called unnecessary. He also pitched them as a more affordable option for budget conscious buyers, provided they are built in American factories rather than imported complete from Japan or elsewhere.
For anyone new to the idea, kei cars are a uniquely Japanese class of vehicles shaped by strict rules on size and engine displacement. To qualify, a kei car must fit within tight length and width limits and use an engine no larger than 660 cc. Within that box, though, you get everything from tiny pickup trucks and boxy urban runabouts to quirky mid engine sports cars. They are genuinely small, often making something like a Miata look big in comparison, and they are engineered for crowded cities and short hops more than long highway slogs.
On paper, Trump’s enthusiasm sounds like a victory for small car fans who have watched the U.S. market swing almost entirely to crossovers, SUVs, and trucks. The reality is more complicated. To truly legalize modern kei cars here, regulators would need to rethink or carve out exceptions to a long list of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including crash requirements that these featherweight machines currently do not meet. Right now, American enthusiasts can only bring in older kei models under the 25 year import rule and even then some states restrict how and where they can be driven. Turning them into fully road legal new cars is a much bigger lift than a single sound bite suggests.
Duffy’s surprised reaction during the announcement hints that detailed policy work has not caught up to the president’s off the cuff directive. There is also the manufacturing wrinkle. The administration’s message is that any future kei style models for the U.S. must be built on domestic soil, which would force Japanese automakers like Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, or Daihatsu to find space in their American or North American plants for vehicles that might still be a niche play. At the same time, looser regulations could open a door for U.S. brands that have abandoned traditional small cars to reenter the segment with ultra compact city vehicles of their own.
If kei style cars really do get a green light, the potential upsides are easy to see. They are light, frugal, and easy to park, which makes them perfect for dense cities and short commutes. Their simplified construction could help automakers hit lower price points in a market where the average new vehicle now sits above $50,000, and their small engines naturally burn less fuel than a typical crossover. On the flip side, American buyers have shown a deep preference for larger vehicles, and many people may be wary of sharing the interstate with something that looks like it could fit in the bed of a pickup.
For now, Trump’s kei car push feels more like an attention grabbing side note to a broader effort to relax fuel economy rules than a fully baked product plan. Enthusiasts are right to be intrigued, but it will take formal rulemaking, public comment, and serious commitment from automakers before you see a brand new Honda N Box or Suzuki style microcar with a window sticker at your local dealer. Until then, the kei craze in America will remain mostly a world of imported curiosities, YouTube clips, and what if conversations that just got a lot louder.
Lloyd Tobias is a seasoned automotive journalist and passionate enthusiast with over 15 years of experience immersed in the world of cars. Whether it’s exploring the latest advancements in automotive technology or keeping a close pulse on breaking industry news, Lloyd brings a sharp perspective and a deep appreciation for all things automotive. His writing blends technical insight with real-world enthusiasm, making his contributions both informative and engaging for readers who share his love for the drive. When he’s not behind the keyboard or under the hood, Lloyd enjoys test driving the newest models and staying ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving automotive landscape.
