Why do Edmonton businesses love kei cars?
Kei cars and trucks are fun-sized vehicles from Japan that Thirsty Rider Cycles, Sea Change Brewing, Flat Boy Burgers and other businesses love because they are rolling marketing campaigns and just plain fun.
In Japan, someone who drives a smaller kei car pays far fewer fees than for a standard-size automobile, making the vehicles extremely popular. In Edmonton, though, businesses especially love the slim, tall, imported Japanese mini-trucks and micro-vans that fall under the umbrella of "kei jidōsha," which translates as "light automobiles."
Why? Just ask Brett Paulitsch, the owner-operator of Thirsty Rider Cycles, who owns a kei micro-van that's branded with his company logo. "I thought they were hilarious and would be the perfect little billboard for my company," Paulitsch told Taproot in an email. "I get multiple thumbs up or laughs from people every day."
Paulitsch isn't alone. Pete Nguyen, a partner at Sea Change, Flat Boy, and Shiddy's Distilling said much the same. His mini-empire owns two branded kei vans and three branded kei trucks. "We wanted something unique and fun that we could brand and own," he told Taproot via email. "We knew that it would get attention on the road."
Paulitsch, who repairs people-powered vehicles with two wheels, uses his 1995 Subaru Sambar truck as a daily driver and for marketing. He paid around $6,000 for it. The vehicle has some disadvantages, he said, but they don't bother him. "It's freezing cold in the winter, but I love it," he said. "I never have to worry about parking (and) it's cheap on gas."
Nguyen has seen prices between $10,000 and $14,000 for kei vehicles, though he didn't say what his own fleet cost. He said a few disadvantages for most models include inadequate heating for Edmonton winters, their right-handed driving orientation, and manual transmissions.