Over the last few years mini cars are increasingly becoming popular in Japan. Mini cars or Kei cars are small sized cars with engine upto 650 cc. Popular mini car makers in Japan are Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Daihatsu, Subaru. In year 2006, mini cars comprised of about 36% of the total cars manufactured in Japan.
So, why Japanese people are going for mini-cars?
There are many reasons. Japanese people mostly use cars for city drive. As Japanese families are small, a small car suits the purpose best.
Mini cars are also easy to maneuver in the narrow roads common in most Japanese cities. Japanese people prefer traveling by high speed bullet trains than driving in a car for going to distant places, to save time and money.
People who enjoy long drives can rent bigger cars easily anywhere in Japan.
Overall cost of maintenance is another reason to go for a mini car. Mini cars are considerably cheaper than bigger passenger cars, so the initial investment is low. They consume much less fuel too.
In Japan, one can not buy a car unless he has a proof of his own/rented parking space; in cities like Tokyo, it costs about Y.40,000 JP yen(US$350) to Y.50,000 JP yen (US$420) per month for renting parking space.
However, this requirement of parking space is not applicable for mini-cars; the savings in rent for parking space makes mini-cars attractive to Japanese people.
I feel that Japanese mini-cars are well suited for crowded cities in Asia and Africa.
If you feel interested in buying a new or used mini-car, please feel free to contact me.
