Derek Griffith, owner of Northeast Auto Import in Hudson, N.H., stands next to his Mitsubishi Bravo microvan. Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
Note: this story was updated 7/22/2024, to reflect changes to RMV policy and a statement.
HUDSON, N.H. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Cars in the United States have been growing by the year, while it seems like Boston's roads shrink by the day. For a time, a handful of Massachusetts drivers had an outside-the-box solution: importing tiny Japanese cars that sip gas and can squeeze into the smallest imaginable parking space. But the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles has put the kibosh on that.
Kei cars, short for kei-jidōsha (lit. "light automobile") is the smallest class of cars and trucks legally allowable on Japanese roadways. The cars are tiny, no bigger than 11 feet long, with many smaller than that. Compare that to a Ford F-150, at more than 17 feet long. Up until this month, the cars were allowed here in Massachusetts, too, and being imported by residents. But the RMV put out a bulletin on its website in early July that suddenly banned all Kei cars from getting registered in the state. The notice has since been updated.
"This one actually, if you look, has a Massachusetts safety inspection sticker on it," said Derek Griffith, owner of Northeast Auto Imports in Hudson, N.H. He was pointing to a Mitsubishi Bravo, a microvan with an unusual turbocharged gas 3-cylinder engine. "This passed Massachusetts safety inspection within the last year. So, it's not like they're unsafe," he continued. "These are even registered in states like California and New York without issue."
Griffith said Kei cars are still a novelty, but a big reason people like them is their incredible fuel efficiency.
"You can sometimes get upwards of 40, 45 miles per gallon out of one of these things," he said. Those numbers are double that of a modern pickup truck. Another draw is the cost, usually under $12,000.
The ban that came down from the RMV briefly mentions the 25-year-rule which allows cars older than 25 years to be imported to the U.S. without conforming to U.S. safety standards, but doesn't include a justification for the ban, instead simply saying that "...the Massachusetts RMV, under its authority, does not issue registrations and titles for these mini trucks and vans." The notice has been expanded to say the the RMV is "currently reviewing its policies for registration of Kei trucks." Though the RMV had at first said it would claw back active registrations, it changed gears last week and said the Kei trucks currently driving around on Mass. roads could keep their unexpired registrations as it puzzled out how to regulate them.
"All existing unexpired registrations for Kei trucks and vans will remain active as the RMV works to review and assess industry standards related to Kei mini trucks and develop an updated policy addressing the registration of these vehicles," the new notice reads.
Griffith said the sudden change from the old policy didn't make sense, because plenty of older cars are allowed to be imported and drive in the state, but only Kei cars have been singled out. He's optimistic that the ban will be reversed in the future.
This particular Mitsubishi Bravo was on the Northeast Auto lot because a Massachusetts owner had to panic-sell after hearing about the ban. Griffith has had to walk back several done deals with other Mass. owners — all while eight more of the Kei cars came onto his lot.
In response to a request for comment, MassDOT said public comment at last week's MassDOT Board of Directors meeting would factor into the new rules about Kei cars.
WBZ's Chaiel Schaffel (@CschaffelWBZ) reports:
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