![]() ![]() Japan Car Direct and its competitors will walk customers through the import process, which requires several forms to be completed. Vehicles more than 25 years old aren't subject to restrictions, and account for most of those imported to the US, he said. In Pennsylvania, for example, they must be registered as off-road vehicles, while California's tighter environmental laws make it difficult to use a Kei truck there, Matusiak said. Kei trucks are typically limited to 25 mph depending on the state. More recent models in particular face certain Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency restrictions. However, Kei trucks are subject to certain restrictions in the US that buyers need to be aware of. Japan Car Direct is one of several companies based in Japan that export tiny trucks to the US and other countries. Many of his customers own ranches or farms, but he says Kei trucks also appeal to the likes of surfers and hunters wanting nimble transport with storage space for surfboards or animals. "It's probably our most-searched term, and that's what brings most people to our website." "Every single year for the past seven years we've been increasing our sales overall, and a huge chunk of that is Kei vehicles," Matusiak said. The cheapest Kei truck sold by Japan Car Direct is about $5,000, with shipping costs accounting for much of that sum. Matt Matusiak told Insider the company ships a range of vehicles to the US, including Toyotas from the 1990s, old Suzuki trucks, and small Nissan camper vans.īut he said that Kei trucks were by far its most popular purchase, and said they accounted for about a third of its orders. One of the companies importing them to the US is Japan Car Direct. ![]() ![]() The tiny trucks are a common sight on Japanese roads, but they've also won over some Americans wanting a versatile, compact – and cheap – vehicle. ![]() They were made by several manufacturers as the Daihatsu Hijet, Subaru Sambar, Suzuki Carry, Mitsubishi Minicab, and Honda Acty, per Wikipedia. Kei trucks are about 11 feet long and less than seven feet high and evolved from the three-wheel trucks based on motorcycles after the Second World War. It's not just tiny homes taking America by storm – now tiny trucks made in Japan are becoming increasingly popular too. According to Japan Car Direct, they've become popular with buyers such as farmers.Kei trucks are about 11 feet long and can hit speeds of up to 65 mph.Tiny Japanese trucks that cost as little as $5,000 are winning over some Americans.In May, JFE Holdings said it expected to post a 17% increase in the current fiscal year's net profit to 190 billion yen ($1.4 billion) on stronger steel demand thanks to a recovery in the auto sector.Trucks can cost as little as $5,000 to import from JFE Holdings may consider investing into coking coal essential for steelmaking, Kakigi added, expecting demand to remain solid for such assets in the next couple of decades. "The amount of crude steel used will obviously decrease," Kakigi told a press conference on Wednesday, calling 'Gigacasting' "a very big problem".Īs aluminum is less strong compared to steel, iron might be needed in the most vulnerable EV parts to increase safety, he said. Pioneered by Tesla, 'Gigacasting' allows for production of larger and lighter parts - essential for electric vehicles with heavy batteries - reducing costs, and attracting interest from automobile giants including General Motors and Hyundai Motor. Toyota Motor, the world's top-selling automaker, became the latest car producer planning to adopt 'Gigacasting' - house-sized aluminum die-casting machines able to produce aluminum parts far bigger than anything used before in auto manufacturing. TOKYO - Japan's second-biggest steelmaker JFE Holdings Inc sees usage of technology known as 'Gigacasting' as a risk to the company's business as it could lead to reduction of steel usage, its President Koji Kakigi told reporters. ![]()
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