Let's discuss kei cars...

[donbuggy]

Has anybody here actually driven a kei car? Perhaps a test drive could be organized? Manila to Tagaytay and back, pit stop sa isang resort. Ice cold beer to fuel the thinking process (passengers only - no drinking and driving). If it's an overnight stay, choose a place with "cultural entertainment".

The smallest car I have driven is an Austin Mini. Short around-the-block drive when I was looking for one (secondhand). Never was able to get one. The good ones were quickly taken by others. The ride was okay as I'm used to the Beetle's stiff suspension. Surprisingly roomy inside. Seems to run out of revs at high speed because it has only a 4-speed tranny.

I was able to ride in one of those Minica taxis in Iligan. Noisy and cramped interior (short wheelbase, prop shaft, rear wheel drive, two-cylinder engine kasi). Shows you how the Japanese small car design was behind the British back then. Alec Issigonis (designer of the Mini) had a better idea.

[architect]

*donbuggy -

Sounds good to me. Will bring it up at the next eb. Hope you can join us (if ever) if you happen to be in town

Some of us test actually drove the Alto recently. While technically not a kei car since it has an 800cc engine, its dimensions are within kei specs. We drove it on the NLEX and it was surprisingly stable despite going alongside huge trucks. But then that is probably because the car was fully loaded (5 people). Still ehnriko was able to take it up to 120 kmph.

Will probably suggest to the group to go for a test drive of the converted second-hand Suzuki Wagon R some of the dealers in Imus are selling for about P180K - P200k.

[safeorigin]

swift turning radius btw is kinda underrsteered for its size. i like a kei car with a 2.5m at most turning radius. for ease of parking na rin since target market are students too

[architect]

*SO,

Whatever happened to your bamboo experiments? Would like to implement some of your designs in the prototype. Also, your email addy keeps bouncing.

Lastly, when is your birthday? Di ba, malapit na? Also that means you can now formally join the group.

[Benji_DCP]

To boost development of the the Local Kei-Car, I believe that the government must have a hand in encouraging its proliferation, it must adopt its own set of standards and incentives. As it is right, using cars with smaller displacement engines aredriven by our own motivation to save on fuel costs.

Cheaper yearly registration costs could be one incentive. The current LTO registration system and procedure makes no further classification of 4-wheeled vehicles, classified under LIGHT with engine displacements of 1600cc and below.

[Benji_DCP]

Kei car
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kei car, K-car, or keijidōsha (literally "light automobile") (軽自動車, keijidōsha ?) (pronounced /keːdʑidoːɕa/), is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans ("microvans") and pickup trucks. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle.[1][2] These standards originated in the times following the end of the Second World War, when most Japanese could not afford a full-sized car yet had enough to buy a motorcycle. To promote the growth of the car industry, as well as to offer an alternative delivery method to small business and shop owners, kei car standards were created.


Daihatsu, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Smart,[5] Subaru, and Suzuki all manufacture kei cars, while Nissan sells badge engineered versions of Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki models under licence.

Norkis has re-engineered the Daihatsu Mira by introducing rebuilt versions here as a pick-up which they rebadged as the Legacy.

[architect]

Interesting discussion on kei cars in the USA going on in the GM Inside News Forum -

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f...tandard-64235/

[Benji_DCP]

The Norkis Legacy (From the Daihtasu Mira) is a "Kei" car by Japanese standards:
Linking some of my pictures of the Norkis Legacy:

[mikaztro]

Si "Lil Red" ko ba eh considered "kei" car na din kaya? Hmmm...

"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."

"Kei" cars: 11.2 ft(3.41m), 5 ft wide(1.52m)

My LJ80's dimension = 10.46ft(3.19m), overall width = 4.62ft(1.415m)
weight = 1,808lbs, 800cc Four stroke cycle, water cooled engine SOHC.

[architect]

*mikaztro - Official specs (Kei Car blog) are 3400 mm (L) x 1475mm (w) x 2000 mm (H) and an engine displacement of no more than 660cc. So your LJ80's length and engine size disqualify it from being a kei car, strictly speaking.

However, note that Japanese kei car manufacturers often provide bigger engines for models that are exported or manufactured abroad (Maruti Alto, which is being sold here as the Suzuki Alto) and at times even expand the body beyond kei car specs (such as the Suzuki Wagon R Wide).

For me, if you are not in Japan (and therefore, won't benefit from the advantages of owning a kei car) the specifications are not as important (unless you are an aficionado with a purist belief). What is more important is that you enjoy your ride.