Kei Trucks Are 'Coming to America' But Don't Hold Your Breath

TL;DR: President Trump announced in December 2025 that he'd "authorized" kei trucks for America. In reality, no federal safety standards changed. FMVSS crash testing still blocks new kei vehicle sales, and any domestic production is years away at minimum. The 25 year import exemption remains your only path to a legal kei truck. If anything, the announcement is good news for the used import market because it puts kei trucks in the national conversation.

The headline writes itself: President says kei trucks are approved, enthusiasts celebrate, dealers start fielding calls from people who think they can walk into a Honda showroom and drive home in a brand new Honda Acty. Forged 4x4's video on the topic has racked up over 740,000 views, and the comment section is split between people planning their first purchase and people pointing out that nothing actually changed.

Both sides have a point. Something happened in December 2025. But what happened and what people think happened are two very different things.

What the President Actually Said

During a December 3, 2025 press conference alongside Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, Trump described kei vehicles as "very small, really cute" and said he'd "authorized the secretary to immediately approve the production of those cars." Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy responded with a simple "Yes" and later told NPR that the DOT was "clearing the deck" of regulations.

Days later, Trump posted on social media that he had "just approved TINY CARS to be built in America." As Car and Driver reported, the announcement appeared to catch even the Secretary of Transportation off guard.

Stellantis, Honda, and Toyota were all in the room. None of them announced plans to build a kei vehicle in the United States. The reason is straightforward: saying it and doing it are separated by a wall of federal regulation that cannot be bulldozed by a press conference.

The FMVSS Problem Hasn't Gone Away

Every new vehicle sold in the United States must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These are the crash test protocols, headlight specs, seat belt requirements, and structural standards that dictate what can legally carry passengers on American roads. Kei vehicles, with their 134 inch maximum length, 58 inch maximum width, and 660cc engines, were never designed for these tests. They were designed for Japanese tax incentives.

As Covington & Burling's legal analysis points out, NHTSA could initiate a rulemaking to modify how certain FMVSS apply to kei class vehicles, similar to what they did for low speed vehicles under 49 CFR 571. But that is a formal regulatory process. It takes public comment periods, safety data review, and months to years of agency action. No such rulemaking has been initiated.

The DOT confirmed to The Autopian that federal safety standards are not being waived for small cars. So what exactly was "approved"? At best, it was a directive for regulators to begin exploring a path. At worst, it was a misunderstanding of how vehicle regulation works.

The Domestic Production Catch

Even Trump's own announcement contained a critical qualifier most people missed: these vehicles would need to be manufactured in the United States. Importing new kei trucks from Japan was never part of the proposal.

That means someone (Suzuki, Honda, Daihatsu, or an American startup) would need to build a factory, hire workers, source a 660cc engine supply chain, pass modified FMVSS tests that don't exist yet, and sell the trucks at a price point that makes sense against a $8,000 used Suzuki Carry from a US dealer.

As TFL Truck noted, the Big Three stopped selling small vehicles because demand was low and margins were razor thin. Retooling for a vehicle class that maxes out at 660cc and 770 pounds of payload is not something any manufacturer will do on a presidential suggestion alone. They need actual regulatory certainty first.

What About Safety?

This is the part of the conversation that gets uncomfortable for kei truck enthusiasts, including us. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has crash tested minitrucks against vehicles as small as a Smart Fortwo and a Ford Ranger, and the results were grim. Test dummies in the minitrucks recorded injury measures indicating serious or fatal injuries.

Kei truck owners who drive on American roads accept this tradeoff knowingly. The vehicles offer superior visibility compared to modern trucks with massive hoods and thick A pillars. They are slower, which reduces pedestrian impact severity. And as one owner told NPR, "What is a 'safe' vehicle?" when motorcycles share the same highways legally.

But NHTSA's institutional position since at least 2009 has been that minitrucks "are not manufactured to meet US safety standards" and the agency "cannot endorse their use on public highways." Any rulemaking that creates a new vehicle class for kei trucks would need to address crash performance head on. That is a political minefield no regulator wants to walk into voluntarily.

What This Actually Means for Buyers

If you are waiting for a brand new kei truck at a Honda dealership, you will be waiting a very long time. The regulatory path from "presidential press conference" to "vehicle on a showroom floor" involves years of rulemaking, manufacturer investment, and infrastructure buildout.

If you want a kei truck today, the path has not changed: the 25 year import exemption lets you buy a pre-2001 model that's exempt from FMVSS entirely. Our step by step import guide walks through the full process. Prices range from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on make, condition, and specs. The Daihatsu Hijet, Subaru Sambar, and Mitsubishi Minicab are all available alongside the Acty and Carry through verified US dealers.

The real impact of Trump's announcement is not regulatory. It is cultural. Kei trucks went from niche enthusiast vehicles to a topic discussed at White House press conferences. That kind of visibility drives demand, which drives inventory, which brings prices down and availability up. More states are likely to revisit their kei truck registration laws as public awareness grows, and importers like Duncan Imports report surging inquiry volumes since the announcement. More dealers will stock inventory. More parts suppliers will expand their catalogs.

The Bottom Line

Nothing legally changed on December 3, 2025. FMVSS still applies. No exemptions were granted. No rulemakings were initiated. But the Overton window for kei trucks in America shifted dramatically. The president of the United States called them "cute" on national television and told his transportation secretary to figure it out.

For the used import market, that is pure upside. As Hagerty has been tracking, kei truck auction values keep climbing as demand outpaces supply. For the dream of a new, US built kei truck? Check back in three to five years. In the meantime, browse what is actually available right now in our classifieds and read the pre-purchase checklist before you hand anyone a deposit. For the full regulatory breakdown with timelines and paths forward, read our deep dive on what actually has to happen.

The kei truck moment is here. The kei truck regulation is not.