Electric push could wipe out Japan’s cheap microcars
‘Kei’ cars to be hit by plans to ban the sale of new petrol vehicles by the mid-2030s Published: February 01, 2021 17:24 Bloomberg A Daihatsu Move kei car. Daihatsu Motor Co., Toyota s unit that makes keis, hasn t shifted toward electrification as much as other brands. Image Credit: Supplied
Japan’s kei cars, known for their affordability and small engines, face a potentially existential threat as the country leans on automakers to go electric as part of its net-zero emissions goal.
Kei means “light” in Japanese, and the category makes up about a third of new domestic automobile sales. They re a popular means of transportation outside of major cities, used by farmers and families that need multiple vehicles to get around. Cheap to buy and own, keis are mainly manufactured for the home market, with engines limited by law to 660 cubic centimetres
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Publishing date: Jan 31, 2021 • January 31, 2021 • 3 minute read •
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(Bloomberg) Japan’s kei cars, known for their affordability and small engines, face a potentially existential threat as the country leans on automakers to go electric as part of its net-zero emissions goal.
Kei means “light” in Japanese, and the category makes up about a third of new domestic automobile sales. They’re a popular means of transportation outside of major cities, used by farmers and families that need multiple vehicles to get around. Cheap to buy and own, keis are mainly manufactured for the home market, with engines limited by law to 660 cubic centimeters (40 cubic inches).
Jan 30, 2021
In his first policy speech as prime minister last October, Yoshihide Suga pledged to reduce Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, thus giving substance to the government’s goal of eliminating the need for fossil fuels in the latter half of the 21st century. Part of that goal is to ban new internal combustion engine cars by the mid-2030s, a pledge addressed by Akio Toyoda, the president of what is now the world’s No. 1 automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., and chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, during a Dec. 17 online news conference he held under the latter capacity. Toyoda derided the government policy as being ill-informed and unrealistic. At the same time, he castigated the press for glorifying electric vehicles as a main instrument for achieving carbon neutrality.
TOKYO (AP) Toyota's global car production, disrupted by parts shortages from Japan's earthquake and tsunami, won't return to normal until November or December imperiling its spot as the world's top-selling automaker.