Exploring the fascinating world of kei vehicles, this episode dives into their popularity in Japan and their emerging presence in the U.S. Bobby and Aaron discuss the unique designs, efficiency, and practicality of these compact cars and trucks. They share personal experiences from Japan, highlighting the modification culture and various models like the Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino. The hosts also debate the recent bans on kei vehicles in some U.S. states, questioning the safety concerns and advocating for their utility in small businesses and everyday use.
"Out in the middle of nowhere dude. They are everywhere. I know we thought we were gonna get off the plane and there was just gonna be like, you know GTRs and Supers and RX-7s everywhere. Yeah, there was like N boxes and cappuccinos and you know all these different K cars Just yeah, not what you would expect all these little boxy van typeVehicles that you know they have very little overhang on the front and back, you know in front of the wheelSo it's like very easy to drive and very easy to maneuver in the tight streets. I guess you could say yeah, and so it makes sense"
"... I would do something else for sure, you know the S660 would be super sick just like his S2000 was obvio..."
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Hey, and welcome back to right-hand drive guys. I'm Bobby. This is Aaron. Yeah, yo, and this is episode 36 and today
We're gonna talk about cave vehicles. Yes. Yeah, and so I'm sure everybody's been seeing them around especially the trucks, right?
Yeah, they're super popular becausethey I don't know make great use of space. Yeah, and they're super tiny, super efficient. Yeah, and I mean as long as you have light
Dude, dude you work to do then like it's probably perfect. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So but that's not the only type of like cave vehicle that there is and so we figured we'd run it down and have a little show about
the different types andYou know, maybe the future of them in the United States and our experience with them in Japan. Yeah, so
Yeah, in Japan like they're definitely about them. Yeah, 100% in the city and like
Out in the middle of nowhere dude. They are everywhere. I know we thought we were gonna get off the plane and there was just gonna be like, you know
GTRs and Supers and RX-7s everywhere. Yeah, there was like N boxes and cappuccinos and you know all these different K cars
Just yeah, not what you would expect all these little boxy van typeVehicles that you know they have very little overhang on the front and back, you know in front of the wheelSo it's like very easy to drive and very easy to maneuver in the tight streets. I guess you could say yeah, and so it makes sense
You could you could tell like some of them would drive in those things like they were skylines are super as you're yeah, like holy molyThey're with them. Yeah, and so
over thereYou know, there's a ton of there like we couldn't even probably go through all of the different brand and sub modelsOkay cars because yeah, we'd be like oh there's a blah blah blah and then and like they were just left and right all kindsYes so many of them like yeah, that's like seems like their main business. Yeah, I would say it's kind of like kind of
Wow because that's like a complete classic car that we don't even have in the States. Yeah, we don't even get it right
Yeah, so it's and so but you are starting to see him around and yeahSo there is like a modification culture to them over there just like with everything else. Yeah, yeah people modify everything
Yeah, there was something that were just dumped down on camber just like crazy for sure. Yeah, yeah, do remember
We were in traffic going somewhere surprisingly andWe passed one with like a little mini excavator as a truck with a little mini excavator in the back of itYes, like it was an excavator the tracks fit perfectly within it literally in like front the backDude it was stacked in there and it's like holy cow. That's like a
Probably at least that's a pretty heavy piece of equipment. Yeah, yeah for sure
Right, and it's just chilling in the back of this truck like you didn't have to have a trailer or nothing the buckets like just resting on like theYeah, yeah, it was like okay, he probably used the bucket to get in there. You're probably right so
They definitely make use of them, you know, you don't see over there any like big trucks like you don't see anyBig dump trucks. Not seeing any raptors. No or nothing even close to like that and so
You know, I really admired how they made use of these like little tiny vehicles that save them moneyWere easier to drive didn't require special licenses, right kind of smart on their behalf as far as the workforce cheaper to register as wellOh, yeah, and also on the tollsIt's way cheaper because it'sThat's like one of the benefits of it. Yeah, that's why everybody has them. I'm sure because right yeah the tolls are not
Care what you're driving a unicycle do them things are still racking up thatsoYeah, and obviously with the 25 year lawThey became kind of a popular thing start bringing over here, right and you start seeingYou know all kinds of different companies having these trucks maybe not specifically in our area, butYou know you see them on Instagram and you know on you know for sure and and because they make sense. Yeah, they really do
Like and then they all kind of look the same too like and they all I don't knowThey all like the generations are very long so it's like they never really update them because like they didn't need to and that's figured out like itWord I'm sure a 96 looks very much like a 2006 right yeah, and it's just because it works right like why mess with it and it's supposed to be aCon like right economical soThey start updating stuff. I'm sure they would
Press would go up a bit as well 2020 still have crank windows on the probably but soYou know they are some are really cool. Yeah, so like there are some that you know
Are actually sporty. Yeah, considering how small of motor they have to have so do you know what the
Requirements are it to can be considered a k-car. Yeah, it's it's dimensions of the car itself
Not I don't know specificallyThese dimensions, but I do know it has to be so small. Yeah, it also has to be a 660 CC max
Like that's crazy. Yeah, that's like a small engine like that's like literally my razor as a bigger motor
Yeah, yeah for sure and it'd be three cylinders or I don't know if that's a requirement of most of them are three cylinders 660 CCWhat like turbo well, oh yeah, they can be turbo, but they can only so they can be 660 CCs plus the turboYeah, I guess so and then they're also limited on speed and things like that. Yeah, are they allowed to go on the highway?
I would imagine because we saw them all over the place the speed limits way lower over thereYeah, yeah, that's right. I don't know if it was it was crazy. I don't even think it's a hundred
Kilometers is it like on the States. I think it was it was 80. Yeah, most spots is 80. It was 80 and so that's like
Like are we there yet? Dude, holy moly right right, which maybe 55. Yeah, so
That's another thing though, right? Yeah, they are small. They are you know perceived as less safe because of that
But you know when you do consider in Japan, they are driving at such a lower speed limitYeah, like it kind of like makes up for right because you're not going as fast and so the smaller frame and everything is as big of a dealBut like you did you did have a good comparison. Why don't you hit me with it? Yeah, so like a
Lot of these places are banning the K vehicles in America now, right?
Like Georgia's popped up main has been doing it for a long timeRoad Island. I think Oregon is now doing it New York New York has doing it like so there's a huge like resistance against these K vehicles for the safety
That's the argument right. I would imagine it like the emissions or anything like that would make sense at all because like
One it's 25 years or older like right so and also likeIt's a small engine like it's rightSix CCC emissions are nothing on that thing. Yeah, it's not diesel right right so
But a lot of thingsThat I'm seeing is like for the safety because like if you get hit on the interstate or something like that like yeahThey get smashed a lot of these trucks and vans and stuff like you're sitting over the front wheelsSo like if you get into a high-speed impact of course, you're gonna be boom more likely to get hurtOr you know, but whatever but and I was thinking about it earlier mainThey don't even have a helmet law for motorcyclesWhat do they do and even banning K vehicles like it should be your own thing right like you what's the difference right?
What's the difference you you should understand the risk of you know being in the tiny car if that's what you're into and that's what you want to doYou should be able to do it. Yeah, I agree right like no one's making these hardly dudes strap helmets on or nothing like that
Right so they're way more exposed like they can smack down the highway just as easy. Yeah exactly and you know
I I just thought that was kind of wild andNever really thought about that until earlier myself and I was like it's like no sense like yeahHow are you gonna tell us we can drive a little car when you can drive a little motorcycle?
Right, right you can drive something on to without helmet without something as simple as a helmetI guess they do require eye protection, but like really I think so that's one of the things but likeThey don't work with a bug. Yeah exactly right. Yeah, I think that's your death
But so yeah, I mean, I think it's crazy that any of these states are outlawing themIt's just like probably kind of an overreach and it's just kind of making it harder for people all around right rightBecause I mean they're super affordable because they made so many of these things like right yeahThey're everywhere over there like we said yeah, you can get one of the states like I've seen them pop up forSo like on to activities and stuff for five grand. Oh, yeah
Yeah, you can get them and I mean they're easy to work on for the most part because it's super simplereplacement parts I mean for most of them are obtainable. Yeah, so I mean
They're probably a solution for small businesses. I would think over here to be able to get into certain
likeNitches without having to spend the big truck money right right exactly. Yeah, and yeah, and maybe that's why they're getting out a lot
Yeah, I think so you know to try to not get these kind of it's almost like cheap labor right like having this like$5,000 truck that you know replaces like a $35,000 one great. Yeah, yeah
100% like I could probably replace my truck with a K truck and be totally fineI think set down the highway. It's like you know you're doing 70 and it's like
Might have to K swap it, but you know, I would say that would be coolYeah, I mean K swap the K truck that that would be sweet just roast in the rear tires on that thingOh, manCuz you could make that rear wheel drive with the K swap. Yeah, yeah for sure because like most of these cars are
mid-engineYou know, so everything's in the back already. Yeah, that makes sense
So I mean I'm not sure the logistics of it the mounting and all that could be done though, but I would imagine it could be doneFairly easy. That's pretty cool. So I
Wonder if that's a big thing with these people swapping in different motors. Yeah
I wonder cuz that's one of the things that I haven't really looked into but I've thought about it a few timesI'm like yeah, but that'd be pretty sickYeah, for sure. So
What are some of the sporty K cars that you know have come out would you say?
One of the pretty popular ones is the Honda beat love the Honda beat dude. Yeah, the signature zebra interior
Yes, yeah, and we saw one at week fest like yeah mint like super mint like root beer paint job like it was like sickAnd it was so small it was all by itself. There was no cars next to it for whatever reason and it was just so tiny sitting there
Just slaying towering over it and do it. Okay, so here's a good comparison for how small k cars are
if you know what a how big a Mazda Miata is next to a normal car things tiny right?
I don't know. Of course. Be out of the things like yeah
K carMake some Mazda look like or a Miata look like that right? Yeah, like it's like that much smaller. Yeah, and I would agree like there
It's it's kind of yeah, it's ridiculous. You feel like you'd be like claustrophobic in one of the things like we'd be like shoulder to shoulder
YeahYeah, but it would be but I mean over here and over there people definitely modify those thingsYeah, like I mean they're slamming on their putting they make a turbo kit for themYeah, which would be pretty legit. It's like a mini S2000 right right. Yeah, the beat like that would be
Yeah, that'd be sick dude like top down justRipping an auto cross-course or whatever you are into if you got it, you knowYeah, I mean there I think that they're fun cars and a lot of people had them over there. Yeah, like it was still
I mean even other a little older. Yeah, still popular car. Yeah, and then of course there's like the new version like it's big brother
The S660Those were cool. Yeah, we saw a lot of those around too. Yeah, those are so simple. We saw that yellow one in the
It was in the parking lot auto box and it was just like it was pretty sure it was just completely stockBut it was just like black and yellow and just so nice. It looked cool
Yeah, I mean like they have like a whole upgraded styling about them. Yeah, I really like I would
Compared to the beat. I would say that is more of an S car. Yeah, like the S2000 like I'd say that's more of the S2000s
Little brother than the actual beat right if they're just soSo slick. Yeah, we saw that other one in traffic with the turbo kit on it. Yeah, that's right. Like you could hear it like whining
Yeah, that was sick too likeSo yeah, they definitely love their Honda's over there like yeah, and they'reFortable and so yeah, you know and we did see him at a few dealerships and there was one at the up garagedealership they had one insideandIt's just like cool to see him ripping around like these little justBut there's a few other cool ones right yeah ifIf you've seen the oneIt's got the going doors
That would be the Mazda Auto Zam AZ one. Oh, yeah, it was around headlight. Yeah, yeah, and it has
Going doors like a supercar and it's like I don't know they try to style it kind of like a Italian supercar I guess yeah, butYeah, there's I think we saw one of those roaming around as well. I think we did too. Yeah, I mean
It was gold and we so people were bringing their stuff outSo I think we did see a few things maybe we wouldn't normally right right. Yeah, Suzuki also had their own version of that as well
Oh, they did pretty much the same thing it was like a collab thing or they yeahWhich like that happens a lot with like the K vehicles I feel like like there's one manufacturer that makesYou know two or three otherMakes his K carOkay truck and they look somewhat similar just different headlights right just change the little thingsYeah, I was like what the heck I was like oh, that's a no way thing. It's a whole different you know
Make because they do kind of just use that same frame right right. Yeah, it's like oh, that's a die hot suit and die hot
To it's a mitsid that yeah, I mean soDo you think that?
People get pretty good performance out of these when they go that route of modification like do you think that there's any like?
Super fast K cars because they are so small in lightHey, do you think that there's not a not on the long gone? No, no
But up in the toge for sureI don't like yeah, I would imagine dude if you have one of those hopped up and it's like due to be like ripping around a go kart up thereRight like on rails like I want to yeah, I guess I could see that because kind of like the driving that we did with Albo like if you had a littleK car that was likeOkay, no for me, but I would do something else for sure, you know the S660 would be super sick just like his S2000 was obviously
Right, right that that'd be like that'd be fun like you could probably like floor at the entire way through and likeIt would do you smile on your face the whole time. Oh, yeah, and it's just how could you not because they're all are they all rear-wheel drive?
For the for the most part I believe because most of them are minutes. Yeah, yeah, so
Just because of how small they have to be that's kind of the only way only place you can put it and you can really overOnly sit over the front wheels for the most part. Do you
Do you have you ever seen a K drift cars?
Not that I can think of I think I've seen somebody's doneYeah, the cappuccino specificallyI've seen like I think I've seen a couple of men. I think that one is in an initial D as well in a few episodes
But that one is only popular because it has a front engineReal-wheel drive layout and that's like one of the only ones I believe I see I see soNot huge and so they're pretty much just economy carsNobody really uses them any any raceliegs except for maybe a specificRight they probably have our race. Yeah, they probably have like one-make races and stuff that would probably be fun like
Everybody's got like six hundred and sixty CZs likeDo they try to get around like horse? Yeah, dude. That would be a blast. Yeah, no
I'm sure it would be go-cart will kind of expensive go-cartNo bum don't be bumping me dude. Yes, I know how you are
Yeah, butso I meanYou know talking about these things and you know there are a few different other cool modelsYou know that we didn't mention butOver there like we did mention is that they'll modify any of these whether it's a VIP styleYeah, like that style look or if it does you know look the race part like they'll put liverys on these things likeIt's kind of crazy, you know like how the Japanese they have this like just love for
modification love for customization of their items, you know to make them theirs. Yeah, that like it doesn't matter
What it is, you know and not to get off topic, but even like those family vans and yeah the high-aaces?
Yes, like the baddest vans I've ever seen in my life likeI never like if you asked me before Japan like oh if you said cool vanI'd be like yeah, and just kind of like blow you off like whatever, you knowBut now if you say cool van, I'm like hi, is exactlyGrantoringBut so that's the thing, you know they really do take pride in what they have down to you knowThe small little inboxes right right right yeah
SoWhat do you think as far as these states outlying or like banning?
These type of vehicles do you think that this is a long-term thing? Do you think that like it's said and done?
We just lost them orI don't know. I mean I think in some states. Yeah, like I
Think they won't ever go back, but I know in Maine. There's a there's something in the light shager right now that's
on its way toTo stop the ban on themNice so like so I would assume the people were likeWe're not cool with thisWe as miners can use these and utilize them yeah to better our lives and we already have low speed limits on everythingYou know if that's what you're concerned about right right, you know andBecause I could picture whether it's you know farms or
You know different little construction things these haveA bunch of uses in so they also did make like that's what's crazy about the Japanese. I love the Japanese like
They literally made so many different things out of these cave vehicles like the acties and stuff likeJust everything you can imagine little fire trucks little cement pumping trucks little garbage trucksEverything do everything a lot of them have dump beds. Yes, like
Right how sick would that be for a farmer to spin 5k on a vehicle thatHe has a dump bed on right how muchElser you spin yeah, like where how much else are you spending somewhere else to buy something like that right?
I'm the main trailer and like or whatever it might beExactly is the maintenance is like so much more straightforward and in like easier on these vehicles because they're super simpleLike you said they're made to be economic. They were made to be easy. So compared to let's just say this guys, you know
two ton Mac dump bed, right that like hard to get parts for nowIt's huge. Yes to have this air jack to lift it
You know what I'm saying like it's it's probably night and day and especiallyWhere everything's getting harder as far as like employees and getting supplies and whatnot if you can save on this low-cave vehicle likeWhy is the state government right telling you not to yeah, and I think in Maine like that's pretty much likeThat'sThey're gonna listen to the people I guess they probably got banned just you know looking off paperWhatever someone not even knowing what they're doing. Yeah, you know, they got banned. They heard it was bad
They heard it was bad and then you know it gets brought up. Hey, why did this happen like I could just imagine that's
It's about how it went. Yeah, and so
Would you say that if Maine like takes this off let's sayWould it be certain models do you think or just the whole the whole of them?
I mean, I would think it had to be all of them just becauseBecause I know they had like a fit about the delicia or something. Yeah, yeah, the van the delicator vander whatever it's called. Yeah
Yeah, I'm not sure what that because that that wasn't even technically a cave vehicle right soHow does all this get all mixed in right and like me for instance ILike my skyline was blocked to get registered whenever I first got it right as I mentioned before I mean I don't knowMaybe they're just seeing13-digit Vin it's like the it's and they just they don't even know do because they don't you go to try to get yours registeredThey say no, yeah, I go and try to get mine registered. They're like yes, sir
You know and so then I've re registered mine and now you've registered yours, right and this is you know all in Maine soIn that sense maybe somebody was like whoa, whoa, whoa, you're saying no to like the wrong vehiclesIt's not just anything from Japan. It's these certain ones. Yeah, which I'm not still not even sure if they fully know like
Yeah, cuz it probably wasn't even in their realm of thought and tell somebodyComplained somebody said hey these things are way too small to be on the road. Hey these things aren't safe and it trickles up, right? So
Hopefully the right people have now like found out okay, waitOur people can use these you know, and it would be cool if that kind ofThe other states followed suit. Yeah kind of gave it another shot
Right and I I've had a for herThe same thing happening in Georgia where someone gets thereI forgot what car it was but it was aThere JDM car that they've been waiting for they go down to register it. It's not a K vehicle
But they block him for registry and and they don't tell you anything. They're like
Sorry, and you've already like signed your title and yeah, and this is freaking out because like he knows the law likeRight, you know, he like he knows thatThat whole K vehicle band is going through and this and that but likeHis car is not a K car right he yeah, his is totally different. His is just like certain cars that were made here
You know like potentially could be literallySo I mean if you are looking for a K car. I mean you can find all kinds of like we said different models and brands
Wherever you look for your JDM cars, but you know, you really want to do your due diligence to see if there is anything in the legislature in your state to where they areGonna get banned because just because they're not right now doesn't mean that there's not something you knowGoing up the chain that's gonna eventually affect you and now you know, you got to sell it to a state that hasn't right rightBut I wonder if they allow these things. I mean they they can be used off-road. You can purchase it. You just can't title it right so
It's like you know, you could use these as farm vehicles. Yeah as long as you weren't taking it down to the grain store to get grain
Right as long as you were just using it in the fields or whatever so IDon't I don't know you knowHow this will really end up right? I would err on the satikashan
Purchasing these vehicles until you know exactly your state stance on it right right and don't say you knowYou're gonna you're gonna tell them that they're gonna register at the town office of the DMV or whatever because they'll just tell you knowYeah, no, they don't care. They'll go have coffee afterwards and
They won't look into it anymore, you know, no they're not there because you're just another number in the line soYou know it's exciting buying like right hand drive and Japanese cars and everything and it's easy to kind of get carried awayBut if you do your due diligence, you'll be just fine. Yeah, so if you were gonna have a K car if you were
You knowWhatever you could get any K car you wanted. What would it be? Oh, that's tough
It would probably have to beI don't know it probably had to be one of the trucks or the S660 what color S660I don't even know probably black or white. Yeah, the white is sick. Yeah, I wonder if they did a S660 or
That would be dope that would just like a little ripperI would say the same I would definitely I would do yeah, then maybe the yellow and do like the spoon S660That would be dope. I mean and yeah, of course like the trucks are cool. I think the trucks would be
Really cool for for small tasks even if you just had one of them that like whatever, you know, it's butIt is hard because like you can't fit as much as like even the better your truck, right?
Like a smaller size truck. You can't necessarily fit as much in a K truck as you can in
Like a smaller Chevy right well, I mean I believe a K truck bed is the same sizeOr it's not bigger than my Colorado word. Okay, so like yeah, yeah, so I don't know
I mean yeah, the bed sides are a little bit higher, but like I'm sure you could workSo that's your whatever yeah, you could definitely fit a lot of these things like75% of the vehicle maybe 80% is bad. Yeah, that's true. It's like the gap is so small you're like sitting on blocks. It's weird
So yeah, I mean, I definitely like these K vehicles again like a ton to choose from when it when it comes to theseMake sure you can find parts for it prior, you know to buying just so then you're never like going without becauseWho knows how long some of these are sat around just like any JDM?
Right, right and these are like kind ofBottom of the barrel. I guess you could say as far as price and stuff go, so right people scoop up right
And they might not have been take care of the best in the past as well, so just beat on soYeah, if you have any questions you could definitely shoot us a messageWe'll try to assist you in buying your K vehicle as best as we canAs always you can find us on Instagram at rhd g us or rhd g us calmAnd yeah, this was episode 36 all about the K vehicles. Hopefully you enjoy it
I'm Bobby, this is Aaron.
See ya.
Peace.
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