Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

Tomorrow's world: Ford's downsized 1.0-litre Ecoboost

Direct injection petrol and diesel, hybridisation, downsizing, turbocharging, twin-charging the list of efficiency-boosting, fuel saving features being offered in new cars is becoming so long, buying a new one is like revising for exams. Is there room for another? Apparently so, but since there’s no official name for it yet we’ll call it ‘super-downsizing’ or in other words, using a very small engine in a not so small car.

BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Review & Road Test (2010)

BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Review It comes as something of a shock to realise that the BMW 3 Series has been around for thirty five years, not least since I remember its launch and the stir it caused by offering as it did not just a stylish compact saloon car, but one which offered both prestige and performance. It was also streets ahead of what, until the 3-Series came along, we thought of as a cracking little BMW – the BMW 2002. Thirty five years is a huge amount of time in the world of cars and the 3-Series has changed out of all recognition in the intervening time.