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INSANE: Kei | Vintage Vibes

That New "Kei" Truck Startup Is Describing a Side-By-Side. Right?

The new pickup truck startup REO wants to deliver a base-model truck for the masses. But what the team is describing sounds suspiciously like a UTV or Kei truck.

RideApart

The Chery sub-brand forbidden for Australia

Chery has announced its latest sub-brand, and its got sights sets on the hugely popular Kei minicar segment in Japan.

The Canberra Times

First Drive Review: The New Honda Pioneer 1000 Deluxe Is A Mountain Goat of a UTV

Call it a weird Africa Twin (which I did, more than once), or call it a souped-up kei truck; the 2026 Honda Pioneer 1000 Deluxe side-by-side is a workhorse delight in our first hands-on review.

RideApart

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Hell Yeah: GTA Online Has A Kei Truck Now

The latest Grand Theft Auto Online update adds a Kei truck to the game’s vast catalog of vehicles. It is part of Rockstar’s Drift Event that launched earlier this week.

Motor1

Car Ownership Is Up For Debate In Congress. Here's What's At Stake

In November 2024, I wrote a story about imported Kei trucks and the state-level restrictions being placed on them across the country. In Texas, the Department of Motor Vehicles simply changed its policy, preventing owners from registering with the state, even though the vehicles were 25 years old or older,…

Motor1

This Is The Cutest Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R You'll Ever See

You probably couldn't tell by looking at it, but this isn't a real R32 Nissan Skyline. I know, shocking. Japanese tuner Rocket Bunny turned a Suzuki Twin—a short-lived Kei car sold only in Japan from 2003 to 2005—into a miniature Nissan Skyline R32. And it's absolutely adorable.

Motor1

Trump's Kei Car Solution Only Creates More Expensive Problems

Cheap, affordable cars have all but disappeared from showrooms, replaced by high-priced crossovers and SUVs that many Americans can’t really afford. That’s a problem in 99 percent of the country where a vehicle is required for daily life. If you have a job, go to school, or want to buy…

Motor1

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Forza Horizon 6 Car Wishlist: The Vehicles We Want

Playground games, pretty please.

Operation Sports

Trump says he approved the making of Japanese ‘tiny cars’ to be sold in the US

‘I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America,’ the president wrote on Truth Social Friday

The Independent UK

Americans Don't Actually Want Kei Cars

Kei cars are awesome. The tiny, Japanese-market runabouts have diminutive proportions and puny engines, often delivering no more than 80 horsepower. Having driven one in its home country, it’s easy to see why people are so obsessed with them; they’re cute, charming, and in a jam-packed city like Tokyo, ideal…

Motor1

Trump: Japan's 'Cute' Kei Cars Are Coming to America

Update: In an emailed response to Motor1's questions, a Department of Transportation spokesperson told us:

Motor1

Another State Could Legalize Japanese Mini Trucks

A bipartisan bill introduced in Oregon this week would legalize the registering of imported Kei trucks. If passed, the state would become the latest to take direct action to protect these vehicles when they comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Motor1

This Kei Truck Has a Turbocharged Superbike Engine Heart, and Snowmobile Tracks

A good portion of Americans love the humble Kei truck. Even though they were never sold here, and F-150s reign supreme, folks have gotten on board with the minuscule muscle as they're cheap to buy, cheap to fix, and work like fine Swiss watches. That is, they never break down…

RideApart

Tokyo Auto Salon 2025: custom cars and one-off creations from the Japanese home market

What began as a celebration of Japan's custom car culture is a now a major event for many of the country's biggest automakers. We round up the news from Tokyo Auto Salon 2025

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Motor1

Colorado's Proposed Kei Truck Ban Appears Dead on Arrival

Kei truck advocates in Colorado appear to have won the battle against a proposed mini-truck ban. An email from the Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles, states the agency has canceled the rule change it proposed in August.

InsideEVs

This $15,000 Nissan Kei Car Is Japan's Best-Selling EV

There's a reason Americans seem increasingly fascinated with Japanese Kei vehicles: It's amazing to see small cars winning. The past two decades have seen Americans completely scorn anything small, cheap and simple, moving towards ever-bigger, ever-more "premium" options. That's why our three best-selling EVs are all made by Tesla, a…

Motor1

Uh Oh: Liberty Walk Got Its Hands On a Lamborghini Miura

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Liberty Walk certainly knows how to turn heads with its projects. The Japanese tuner has been working its widebody magic on sports cars, supercars, and Kei cars since the early 1990s. Now, the shop is taking its scalpel to an Italian icon: The Lamborghini Miura.

Motor1

We Drove a Honda Kei Car In Japan. It Was Incredible

A Kei car is the only way to experience Japan.

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Motor1

Japanese Kei Truck Enthusiasts Are Winning in America

It's not every day that American politics goes the way of the little guy, but 2024 could be considered the year the tide turned for mini truck owners and enthusiasts. Advocates in Texas and Massachusetts have successfully changed their state policies to allow registering Japanese Kei trucks 25 years and…

Motor1

Massachusetts Reverses Course, Will Allow Kei Truck Registrations

The state also said it would continue to "review safety implications of Kei Vehicles on the public roadways."

InsideEVs

I Drove Nissan's Japan-Only $15,500 EV. Here's Why It Could Fill A Huge Hole Here Too

I drove Japan's Nissan Sakura EV and found it nails the minimalist, affordable electric template.

Motor1

1997 Mitsubishi Pajero Junior Is $13,545 JDM Off-Road Treasure Imported to US

It is currently for sale by a dealer in Portland.

Motor1

The Kei Car Is A Japanese Phenomenon That Is Still Going Strong

The little cars are still popular in Japan and refuse to disappear in these changing times.

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