Trump says he approved the making of Japanese 'tiny cars' to be sold in the US

[Polybius]

Source: The Independent

“Tiny cars” which are popular in Japan will be allowed to be built in U.S. factories, Presdient Donald Trump has announced.

“I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America,” the president wrote on Truth Social Friday, having previously described the vehicles as “very cute.”

“Manufacturers have long wanted to do this, just like they are so successfully built in other countries. They can be propelled by gasoline, electric, or hybrid. These cars of the very near future are inexpensive, safe, fuel efficient and, quite simply, AMAZING!!! START BUILDING THEM NOW!... ENJOY!!!”

The so-called “Kei trucks” typically measure about 11 feet long, 5 feet wide and 6.5 feet tall, according to Japan’s Interac Network, and now make up about a third of Japan’s car market due to their easily maneuverable size and cheap cost.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-japanese-tiny-cars-kei-b2879150.html

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Wow, it's been years since I actually agreed with anything he's said, so I need a drink...

[Silent Type]

1. Something like that might be good for my situation. But was it something that was actually being held up previously?

Have no idea. trump is still a POS.

[RockRaven]

2. How do they fare when collided with those 2-3+ ton behemoths he also insists be sold in the US?

[Strelnikov_]

24. Mostly better than a Raccoon

Mostly.

The Mercedes developed Smart Car was/is actually pretty safe, in that they invested in the development of a very strong ‘cage’.

These, probably not so much. Considering how many jurisdictions are allowing 4 wheelers on roads, seems NTHSA is out the window.

[Hassler]

3. I assume he's lying.

[Grins]

4. Don't need your approval, mushroom dick! NM

[msongs]

5. many of those van types in Hawaii but they are all right hand drive as they do in Japan

[RazorbackExpat]

6. "Kei trucks" are only a small proportion of "kei jidousha" in Japan

"Kei trucks" (軽トラック are almost exclusively the realm of farmers and home handymen. They are just a small subset of "kei jidousha" (軽自動車 , which are cars, trucks and vans that have an engine displacement of less than 670cc. Nearly all Suzuki and Daihatsu cars in Japan are "kei cars" but not "kei trucks". "Kei jidousha" are distinguished by their yellow license plates.

[MissouriDem47]

7. It Would Be Fun

To drive a car the size of a golf car on the interstate. How are the semi's going to be able to see you?

[Tetrachloride]

9. K cars are not allowed on interstate highways, essentially

[Woodwizard]

19. About the same as seing a motorcycle.

Or a mini Cooper. I used to drive a 71 fiat 850 sport the car was tiny.

[Tetrachloride]

8. Cappuccino

[Mawspam2]

10. Try to get insurance for the little death coffins.

Can-am, Polaris, Yamaha, and John Deere would like a moment to talk about their side-by-sides.

[generalbetrayus]

11. OJ Caesar's tiny car.

[Raven123]

12. Something is off here. What are these? Glorified golf carts?

[Eugene]

16. No. Kei vehicles are subcompact cars/trucks, slightly smaller than the 1990s Geo Tracker

or today's Mini Cooper. The Kei spec also limits engine size, power and top speed.

They're small, efficient and popular overseas, but they are not street-legal in many U.S. states. The other main barrier is that they are low-margin, high-tariff products in a market that craves big high-margin SUVs.

[LilElf70]

13. The next thing I expect from Trump

is that these cars, with obvious horrendous safety features, are only available to illegals. Estimated to save ICE a ton of money. Deaths from car accidents will increase. Believe me, he's saying all this shit this for a reason, as he is not to be trusted. And like it was noted earlier, can you image little cars cruising on the interstates with semi's, big SUV's? Yeah, he really thought this one through. Just like the tariffs.

Just found this: https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a69632858/trumps-kei-car-plan-regulatory-changes/

[Orrex]

17. Illegals? Like 34-count felons?

[LilElf70]

22. Good one

[progree]

14. "Building Kei trucks in the U.S. would also require alterations to federal motor vehicle safety standards"

from the OP's article, repeating the link for convenience of reference:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-japanese-tiny-cars-kei-b2879150.html

The administration’s plans would make it easier for major U.S. manufacturers to continue selling gas-powered vehicles and disincentivize the production of electric vehicles.

So this is the motive? I don't get how this makes sense ... this would also result in less costly EV's too ... though I guess it would help U.S. car manufacturers meet the fleet average mpg standards without building more EVs or building fewer EVs (mpg standards were recently reduced from 50.4 to 34.5 mpg by 2031 https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143576525 . But why didn't he go ahead and reduce them to like 10 mpg or get rid of them entirely? So that he wouldn't have to push the building of little beep beeps)

Building Kei trucks in the U.S. would also require alterations to federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Features such as minimum front-end width requirements or the distance across a seat cushion, as well as hood angle and sturdiness of a crumple zone in a crash, means that many of the vehicles would currently not be compliant, according to Road and Track ( https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a69632858/trumps-kei-car-plan-regulatory-changes/ ).

"Kei cars can't be sold in the U.S. because they aren't designed for this market and don't meet various safety standards,” a spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told the outlet.

. . . The Independent has contacted the White House for comment on potential changes to federal safety standards to allow Kei trucks to be built.

[BidenRocks]

15. Know your audience dipshit!

How many Smart brand, or Fiat Abarth cars do you see on the roads?

The smallest acceptable truck would be like a 2000 Tacoma pick up.
4 cyl 5 speed Not big.

Look at a Tacoma these days.

This car venture is DOA!

[NickB79]

18. My old neighbor had one

He drove it around on the gravel roads here all the time. It was adorable.

He also used it to hand out dozens of free pot plants door to door when they became legal in Minnesota 🤣

[tanyev]

20. His MAGA base has resoundingly rejected small sedans for giant trucks and SUVs.

He thinks they’ll get excited by Japanese tiny cars??

[QueerDuck]

21. Are they street-safe, or are they mostly for farm-use and residential (gated-community) use?

I can easily imagine the turbulence of the aerodynamic wake from a passing semi would flip one of these things on its side.

It's an enclosed golf cart. A death trap. The occupants would never survive a collision of any type (side, front, or rear.) Imagine crickets in a beer can being hit by a sledge hammer.

Perhaps he's thinking of dismantling the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). No standards, no safety regs... just let the public decide what's "safe enough" and the risks they are willing to take with their own lives... along with other people's lives, too.

[LilElf70]

23. The traffic issues alone would create a huge problem.

Imagine millions of these on the roads, puttin along at 15-45 mph. I personally don't think these vehicles should even be allowed on the sidewalks, no less a regular road. Add if they were, omg......