Most cars have ballooned out of proportion over the years. As an example, the current Honda Civic is larger than the original Honda Accord of 1976. Instead of car buyers going up a model every time they are in the market for a car, they demand the car they currently have to be enlarged and updated. This obesity issue raises the weight of the cars and makes fuel economy suffer.
However, there is hope from the Land of the Rising Sun. Since 1949, keijidôsha (literally meaning light automobile) have provided great fuel economy at very reasonable prices. This class of cars was created in japan in 1949 to help mobilize Japan. They were a hit due to low purchase and operating price and because they are relatively cheap to insure.
In general, they achieve upwards of fifty miles-per-gallon due to their small stature.
They are limited to a lenght of 3.4 meters, a width of 1.48 meters and a height of 2 meters, yet are humongous inside due to well-thought design. Also, their engines are limited to a maximum displacement of 660 cubic centimeters and 63 horsepower.
Though this may not sound like much to you, bear in mind that they usually weigh considerably less than a ton. 0-60 times generally range anywhere from about 15 seconds for a neat people mover to around 8 seconds for a sports car.
Speaking of sports cars, keijidôsha come in many different variations, including sports cars such as the Daihatsu Copen. Keijidôsha incorporate many technological advancements such as satellite navigation and thus aren’t quite as utilitarian as their predecessors.
Currently, the only keijidôsha sold in America is the smart fortwo, which while not a bad car, has some glaring faults such as an automatic transmission. Were it to come with a manual transmission, I wouldn’t be quite as compelled to write this article.
I highly recommend you write to your local congressman or representative and ask that they help to pass a proposition which will give these wonderful cars an exemption from safety standards in order to be imported to America.
They are extremely safe and contain all the safety features you have come to expect in a car. You won’t regret driving one!
