They’re lean. They’re pint-size. They’re oh so cute.

They’re Japan’s beloved kei microcars and trucks. And they have an unlikely new fan: President Donald Trump.

Trump calls the cars “really cute” and “sort of like the Beetle used to be.” On Friday, he posted on Truth Social, “I have just approved TINY CARS to be built in America.”

Could Trump really bring kei cars to the United States?

That would be difficult but not impossible, said Tifani Sadek, director of the University of Michigan Law School’s Law and Mobility Program.

It would take some big changes.

Kei cars and trucks are a distinct vehicle category in Japan, with limits on size. They have tiny, 660-cc engines. Created in 1949 to encourage car ownership, they qualify for significantly lower vehicle taxes and insurance premium

See Full Page