Japan’s nice kei minicars boxed in by tax hike, seen facing rocky road

Yoko Kojima loves zipping around Tokyo in her Daihatsu Tanto with its lil’ wheels and pint-sized engine, but Japan’s beloved kei minicars may have a rocky road ahead despite a legion of loyal fans.

Sales of the cutesy box-shaped cars, a staple of the world’s number three vehicle market, drove off a cliff after peaking at Two.27 million units in 2014. Continue reading