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Kei cars are a special Japanese phenomenon; they just fit perfectly into the car landscape there. And they evolved that way, mainly because of a series of government regulations, if you can believe that. According to Jason Cammisa of Hagerty, this is a bit like how SUVs have become the standard vehicle choice in the US, which also happened mainly because of government regulations that favored them over passenger cars. Of course, unlike big, thirsty SUVs, Kei cars are all about efficiency, a small footprint and low running costs.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t be fun, which is clearly illustrated by the so-called “ABC” Kei cars – the Autozam AZ-1, Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino, the most memorable Kei cars ever made. These three little wonders are as remarkable for their sheer existence as they are for their abilities.
As Cammisa tells us, Japan’s Kei Jidosha (Light Car) regulations were first created in 1949 to help the Japanese population, still recovering from the ravages of World War II, become mobile. Initially limited to an engine size of just 150cc, buyers and manufacturers seemed uninterested until the regulations were amended, and it was not until 1955 that Subaru introduced their 360 (to meet the recently increased engine capacity limits of 360cc) that a Kei Car has finally achieved sales success. From then on, the class exploded in popularity and by the 1970s Keis were available from almost all manufacturers, in different body styles.
See also: Daihatsu worries that cheap Chinese cars will threaten the Kei car segment
However, it wasn’t until Japan’s economic boom in the 1980s that the idea of a Kei sports car took root, but when it did, the results were certainly quite a few. By the late 1980s, four valves per cylinder, turbos and all sorts of cutting edge technology had made it to the Kei class, and when the engine capacity limit was raised again from 550cc to 660cc in 1990, the really serious Kei sports cars were finally out of cover. .
The first to hit the market in early 1991 was Honda’s Beat. The very last car to be signed by company founder Soichiro Honda, the Beat was a demonstration of just how much Honda could push the boundaries of what was possible, namely a fully custom mid-engined two-seater convertible with a 656cc naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine. engine. That engine was equipped with a Honda system called MTREC (Multi Throttle Responsive Engine Control), which meant that each cylinder had separate throttle bodies, allowing the three-cylinder to produce 64 horsepower and being the only Kei engine to hit that number without a forced induction .
With a peak torque of 7000rpm and a peak power of 8100rpm, driving the Beat really does require a beating, which is no chore thanks to the fast-shifting gearbox and the delightful snoring sound of the engine. Thanks to Honda’s clever engineering, the Beat isn’t exactly cramped either and fits comfortably into even taller drivers.
The Suzuki Cappuccino takes a different approach to providing driving sensations, namely a more traditional front-engine, rear-wheel drive roadster, a bit like a Mazda Miata scaled down to two-thirds scale. It also has a three-cylinder engine (actually two different engines across the model), but Suzuki turbocharged it, so it has up to twice as much torque as the Beat, but somehow it supposedly only makes 64 horsepower (wink, Wink).
The driving experience is very much that of a traditional sports car, but in miniature, says Cammisa. The little Suzuki also has a unique roof setup, so it could be a hardtop coupe, a Targa top, or a full convertible, depending on how the driver is feeling at the time. Thanks to this and a serviceable case, the Suzuki is definitely the most practical of the trio.
At the other end of that scale is the Autozam AZ-1. Made by Mazda’s dedicated Autozam division, the design for this little wedge was actually done by Suzuki and predates the other two. However, Suzuki gave up on this concept and switched, so Mazda saw an opportunity and took it over. Unfortunately, they launched it in 1992, just as Japan was entering a recession.
Related: The Subaru 360 Is One Of The Cutest Cars In America
The downturn in the economy, coupled with the fact that it was a much more compromised design than the other two with almost no storage space, a cramped cabin and unpredictable handling, meant the Autozam was bombed into the market, selling less than 5000 copies, or less than a quarter of the sales of the others. Still, its sheer quirkiness makes it worth loving.
By the late 1990s, the ABC Kei sports cars were gone and the industry was taken over by rolling boxes all focused on maximizing space. After the recession, Japan saw Kei’s cars get better and better and eventually they accounted for nearly 40 percent of the car market, but from 2014 they fell as authorities changed the tax structure. Still, it doesn’t look like they’re going away anytime soon, and cars like the Honda S660 have even brought back some fun, which we have no complaints about!
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