Kei truck
Japanese vehicle class
A kei truck, kei-class truck, or Japanese mini truck, known in Japan as a keitora (軽トラ 'light truck'), is a style of pickup truck built to satisfy the Japanese keijidōsha (軽自動車 'light vehicle') statutory class of light vehicles. Limited to certain size restrictions—currently no more than 3.4 m (11.2 ft) long and 1.48 m (4.9 ft) wide—they are produced by a wide range of Japanese automakers and are available in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive.
Kei trucks were first introduced in Japan in 1959 and have since been widely used throughout Asia. Since at least the 2020s, they have become increasingly popular in North America, earning a cult following for the affordability and reliability.
Design
The kei truck class specifies a maximum size and displacement, which has steadily increased since legislation first enabled the type in 1949. They evolved from earlier three-wheeled trucks based on motorcycles with a small load-carrying area, called san-rin (三輪), which were popular in Japan before World War II. Since 1998, the law admits a maximum length of 3.4 m (134 in), a maximum width of 1.48 m (58 in) and a maximum height of 2.0 m (79 in) with a maximum displacement of 660 cc. They weigh about 700 kg (1,500 lb), and when ungoverned, can reach up to 120 km/h (75 mph).
Due to the limits established with regard to vehicle length, most, if not all, current trucks in this classification are built with the "cab over" approach to maximize load-carrying abilities; the Suzuki Mighty Boy is one of the rare historical exceptions. Despite the size and engine displacement, most kei trucks have a bed load capacity of 350 kg (770 lb), and the bed dimensions are comparable to crew cab versions of far larger vehicles such as the Ford F-150. Kei pickups generally have 1.8 m (6 ft) pickup beds with fold-down sides; dump and scissor-lift beds are also available, as are van bodies.
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