W ere you looking for the place the Autozam AZ-1 – a kei car that would only ever be sold in Japan - was born, Basildon in Essex probably wouldn’t be the first place you’d hit upon. Yet tucked away in ...

The car world didn't miss a trick. Cities like Tokyo were becoming densely populated metropolises where parking was next to impossible, so auto manufacturers began creating so-cal ...

Mazda’s first real car was a 117-inch, 838-pound cutie with a 16-horsepower V-twin engine that came to dominate Japan’s lightweight car market in the early 1960s.

So what do these sporty yet elusive kei cars offer that their larger Miata counterparts can't offer? Well, will Mazda sell you a mid-engined turbocharged Miata with gullwing doors? No, but Autozam ...

and hugely successful, dominating the kei car market with a full 65 per cent share. It was joined in 1962 by another tiny coupe: Mazda’s Carol P360. Mazda had been building production road cars ...

Kei cars are a class of small cars in Japan which have a length limit of 3.4 meters, a width limit of 1.48 meters and height limit of 2 meters. The Kei car class was created (and given tax breaks ...

Mazda AZ-Wagon Daihatsu Move Canbus Suzuki Wagon R Out of all the kei car manufacturers, Suzuki seemed the most dedicated to this important segment of Japan's auto market. The Alto, the Hustler ...

Affordable sports cars are an ... into Japan’s kei car category, the new version is expected to grow significantly in size, putting it in direct competition with the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Fascinating cars all. Kei cars were built to strict guidelines that governed engine size, power, top speed, sale price and even their dimensions. Tax incentives ensured they were affordable ...