Kei High Rider Sales Japan : 2015-23

Kei cars take over a third of the car market in Japan. Their uniqueness means that this slice of the Japanese market is not accessed by foreign brands. There aren't that many models and some are shared between brands to keep them profitable. The government plays its part by providing incentives to assist with their popularity. 

This group of Kei cars are the tallest of them, around the 1.74 metres and slightly taller. Although all are just 3.395 metres long, this gives a surprising amount of room. 

The Honda N-Box (top pic) is the best selling of not only Kei but all cars in Japan. It was introduced at the end of 2011 and was the top selling model in 2012 so an instant hit. 

The Daihatsu Tanto is the second best selling Kei car and the third overall. It arrived at the end of 2003 so it seems to be the first of this very tall Kei style. 

Suzuki's Spacia (lower pic) is the third strongest selling Kei and sixth overall. When introduced in 2008, it was called the Palette but when the second generation came out in 2013, it was given the Spacia moniker. 

The Nissan Dayz Roox arrived in 2014 but simply as the Roox from 2020.  As there is a Nissan Dayz also, I assume the name change was to differentiate the models. It is made by Mitsubishi and it's a very solid selling car. 

Now we enter pancake territory with little to separate the cars. There are shared with larger selling brands and sell in limited numbers.

The Mitsubishi eK Space which is the donor model for the Roox sells in much smaller numbers. That's not surprising as Nissan is a much larger brand in Japan. The Mazda Flair Wagon is basically the Suzuki Spacia and sold since 2013. Finally the Subaru Chiffon, using the Daihatsu Tanto so as to have an offering in this segment. It was introduced in 2017. 

Summary: I find them quirky and yet fascinating too. I would be tempted to own one but they only come to New Zealand in very limited numbers as used imports.