European automotive lobby group ACEA has called for the introduction of special regulations for small, urban-centric EVs to create a version of Japan’s kei car segment.
Kei (short for keijidosha) is a specific category of cars in Japan whose small size and 660cc maximum engine displacement are regulated by the government to force car makers to design vehicles more suitable for cramped urban environments.
“The kei car is a perfect example of the kind of things we should be able to do,” said Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO and ACEA president, at a presentation to outline a new manifesto designed to persuade law makers to soften some of the more onerous European Union regulations coming down the line.
Small electric cars in this proposed new category should have a reduced purchase tax, lower road tolls, easier access to city centres and not be subject to the same parking restrictions as regular cars, de Meo said.
Car makers in recent years have faced increasingly complex regulations that apply equally to both small and large cars, pushing up size, weight and cost. “A- and B-segment cars are not profitable any more because auto makers have to produce cars dressed up like Christmas trees,” de Meo said. “It doesn’t make a difference if it’s a Clio or a big limo.”
Renault last week unveiled its new Twingo, a small EV, which it says will be on sale in 2026 for cost of under €20,000 (roughly £17,250). In the proposed new kei class, battery size could be smaller or even restricted to ensure costs were kept low and customers paired the car to their needs.
De Meo quoted the average journey profile of the Dacia Spring of 19 miles a day at an average of 16mph. “So you don’t need a 100kWh battery, which is an ecological disaster anyway”, he said.
Japan’s kei class has grown to around 40% of the country’s car market and, with a few exceptions, the models produced have stayed in the country. Interesting examples include the Honda Beat, Honda S660 and Suzuki Cappuccino, but most are miniature squared-off people carriers such as the Honda N-Box, which is Japan’s best-selling car to the end October this year, at 190,608 units, according to figures from car sales aggregator bestsellingcarsblog.com.
Small electric city cars have become a recent sales sensation in China after manufacturers returned to the sector with much more sophisticated models than had been produced in the past. Examples include the formerly best-selling Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, Wuling Bingo and Geely Panda Mini.
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