The Kei car category (or light vehicle) was introduced in Japan in 1949 to save on fuel and encourage car ownership plus local manufacturing. They have a limitation on their physical dimension and engine capacity.
They enjoy lower tax and insurance rates among their advantages to ownership. These don't apply elsewhere so exports have been limited mainly to Suzuki. They do enjoy around a third of all sales domestically.
The N-Box was released at the end of 2011 but in its first full year on sale, it exceeded 200,000 units so an instant hit.
Just prior to the N-Box, Kei cars represented around 20% of Honda's domestic sales. After its introduction, it rose to between 45-50%. Its share of total Kei sales rose from under 8% to over 18%.
The chart to the right shows in thirteen full years of being on sale, registrations exceed 2.7 million. It's been the top selling Kei car every year since 2015 and for the total Japanese market from 2017.
2024 was another good year although slightly down on its historical full year avaerage of 210,700 but still the number one choice for car buyers in Japan.
As we see above, there is a somewhat narrow cabin space due to size constraints, probably accentuated in the photograph by the tall style of the vehicle relative to other dimensions. Still, wide enough to fit most passengers comfortably.
With the rear seats lowered, it seems you can fit a bike into one as the picture below shows. We only see the front wheel in the car at this point but obviously it must fit.
So a versatile vehicle, ideal for narrower streets and ease of parking. However, if you don't live in Japan then don't expect to see one in your neighbourhood.
