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Now even acceptable for regular road traffic in some locales, Japanese mini trucks are currently viewed as more feasible economical and practical choices for off-road vehicular use. Popular vehicles imported regularly from Japan, Japanese mini trucks (called “Keitora” or “micro” trucks) are actually cost-effective work donkeys. Most include 660cc engines and 4-wheel drive and are actually undersized, but extremely useful pickup trucks. Built to meet requirements for light vehicles in Japan, each mini truck is approximately 11 ft. (3.4m) long with a box generally measuring 6 ft.-4 in. (1.95m) in length. The hauling capacity of these Japanese mini trucks approximates half a ton. Designed with hydraulic dumps and scissor lifts, such mini vehicles often come with fold-down box sides. Selected models sporting van bodies are also for sale. Also, total enclosure of cabs, seat belts, windshield wipers, AM radios, heaters, lights and signals are all standard features of these Japanese mini vehicles. While sustaining their characteristic levels of easy maneuverability and speed, Japanese mini trucks are amazingly strong, enduring the weight of heavy loads despite their light-weight structures in comparison to those of regular road trucks and vans. Usually, Japanese mini trucks can accelerate up to speeds of 75 miles per hour, and their mean weight is 1500 pounds. With used models presently employed off-road in the US, often on farms, mini trucks are in use throughout Asia. Following their road certification inspections in Canada, Japanese mini trucks are considered regular road vehicles. As road-acceptable vehicles, they are low-cost, fuel-efficient, practical, and easy to maintain. As economical transportation, some Japanese mini trucks have been documented by their owners with gas mileage capacity equal to upwards of 60 miles per gallon. Current US prices for Japanese mini trucks range from about $4,000 to $8,500, according to whether your interest is in a new or used truck. In line with the current used mini truck market, a 1990 Suzuki Every Van is priced at approximately USD $6,086, while a 1992 Daihatsu Hi-Jet mini truck sells for close to USD $5,848.

Continuing to gain in popularity on the motor vehicle market, Japanese mini trucks have demonstrated their lasting ability, even though it was questioned by vehicular manufacturers. Various makes and models of Japanese mini trucks being shown on the market today are the result of many generations of style revisions and new designs. The popular Kurogane KB pickup truck first revealing a high structured rear engine was brought out in 1959. Later, in 1963 the earliest Honda 4-wheel vehicle was marketed, the Honda T360, as a semi-front truck or pickup. A newcomer on the market for 1964 was a fashion hit, the Daihatsu Hi-Jet Cab. The Cony 360 Wide with a 168 cm wheelbase, a rear rigid axle with leaf springs, and a 354 cc engine placed beneath the center floor came on the market in 1965. For the 1966 market, a van was newly designed. Minus distinctive or unique character, the style was ultra-modern, and this vehicle was obtainable until the mid-seventies. The Mazda Porter Cab with engine placement underneath the front seats, was first publicly introduced in 1969. This mini truck’s round headlights and cadres which resembled wire-rimmed eyeglasses, contributed to its partly comic style. Following that time, many more makes and models of Japanese mini trucks have been brought out on the modern road vehicle market, with recognizable, now popularized manufacturers’ names such as Mitsubishi, Diahatsu, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki and Subaru. Japanese mini trucks certainly will maintain ranking in today’s motor vehicles market, as revealed in recent consumer surveys.

Tags: Automobiles, Cars, Trucks and Bikes