Kei trucks have been in the crosshairs of state regulators for a while now, previously receiving bans in Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Colorado looked to be the next state to see the pint-sized pickups restricted from being registered. While that initiative failed, meaning that they’ll remain legal to drive for the time being, powerful forces remain hard at work in their attempts to eliminate them from our market.
A Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) proposal, advised by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, stipulated that Japanese kei cars are “compact, low horsepower vehicles that were designed for use on foreign roadways.” The draft went on to allege that the vehicles don’t adhere to the standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), or Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and were therefore unsafe to use on public roads.
The full document was shared by The Drive for those interested.
While it is true that these 660cc imports are indeed tiny and unlikely to perform well in a head-on collision with a Ford F-150, the same could be said of any modern motorcycle and they’re perfectly legal to operate on American streets. Vehicles over 25 years old likewise aren’t required to adhere to FMVSS as per federal importation laws. Frankly, there are countless antique and classic cars (including those manufactured domestically) that wouldn’t be able to meet those standards.
However, this did not prevent Colorado’s Department of Revenue from denying registrations of some residents who had imported kei trucks in recent years. Interestingly, the DMV taking action on its own, without supportive legislation actually resulted in formal petitions opposing any future government bans on kei cars. This strategy actually worked in Massachusetts, which resulted in legislation that formally states that kei vehicles can be legally registered within the state as roadgoing passenger vehicles.
Kei trucks have become increasingly popular within the United States of late. Japanese vehicles are often meticulously maintained, with lower miles than similarly aged vehicles you’d find stateside, and there are now more reputable importers in the U.S. willing to do the brunt of the legwork for you. Provided you’re not looking for something exceptionally rare, it’s likewise possible to procure imported cars for lower than you might have anticipated.
With new vehicle pricing now untenable for a large portion of Americans, some enthusiasts have started considering importing older JDM models as an alternative. Kei trucks have become particularly popular as local runabouts for those willing to cope with their lackluster performance and safety. They incredibly cheap and make solid and economical little errand vehicles, provided you like their style and are okay with their obvious shortcomings.
While federal laws allow for the importation of foreign vehicles that are older than 25 years, many states are trying to issue bans targeting kei cars and trucks specifically. The rationale differs but is usually a familiar combination of claims that they don’t pass present-day emission or safety standards. We’ve also heard blanket statements about them being out of compliance with federal regulations — something that was apparently not an issue until it was applied to these little pickups.
But we all know the real reason for these bans and it’s the same one that prevents you from importing any foreign-made vehicle under 25 years old as a daily driver. Automakers and the government don’t want people buying bargain-priced secondhand vehicles from another country when they could be spending more money domestically. Importers are effectively servicing a subset of buyers seeking a pickup segment that doesn’t exist inside North America, with none of the profit going toward automakers.
The playbook to stop kei trucks has typically been for states to try and designate them as off-road vehicles that cannot be registered for on-road use. This is patently ridiculous, as the tiny trucks were very obviously designed to function on Japanese roads. But this has not prevented certain states from pulling registrations in the past.
Most of this stems from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), which is a tax-exempt, non-governmental organization that just so happens to be highly influential in terms of advancing U.S. traffic laws and vehicle authorization. It’s taken a very clear position against imported kei trucks and has influenced several states to ban them, either directly or indirectly.
Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have actively revoked existing registrations, whereas New York and Pennsylvania have banned them from being used on public roads. Wisconsin likewise refuses to register any additional kei trucks. As previously stated, Massachusetts managed to undo its own preexisting bans.
While AAMVA has remained adamant that it is not a regulatory body and lacks any enforcement power of its own, the organization literally “represents state, provincial, and territorial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws” by its own admission. It has also been influential in regard to how states have handled kei vehicles, frequently leading the relevant regulatory proposals itself.
In fact, the lobbying group is presently trying to get them banned in Michigan and Texas — albeit unsuccessfully so far.
Colorado is similarly up in the air right now. While some residents have reportedly received official documents from the Department of Motor Vehicles stating that it has reversed its decision to prohibit imported kei vehicles, direct questions to the DMV have suggested no official decision has been made on the matter. Regardless, the AAMVA seems wholly committed to seeing them banned and is unlikely to give up after a couple of isolated setbacks.
[Images: oasisamuel/Shutterstock; Art Konovalov/Shutterstock; RMT51/Shutterstock]
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Source: The Truth About Cars
