cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/35652259
this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2026
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The epa made this huge become epidemic with it's emission standards and the suv exemption rule.
The end of CAFE loopholes in 2012 is the real reason cars have gotten so much bigger. They used to be able to classify virtually anything they wanted as a truck. When the 2008 PT Ctuiser was classified as a truck, the EPA adjusted the standards to start classifying vehicles by their foorprint and not their use beginning in 2012.
That's why the Ranger, Colorado, Dakota, and the rest of the small trucks were discontinued. Suddenly a small truck used to haul shit had stricter fuel economy standards than a Corolla. And the auto manufacturers realized that instead of improving vehicles as the standards got tighter over time, they could just make the footprint bigger. It's why when the Ranger came back, some models were bigger than older F150s and why you have these behemoths on the road today artificially bumped up in size with the same bed size as a Kei truck.
The CAFE rules caught up with vans a few years ago, and all the mini cargo vans (NV200, Transit Connect, ProMaster City) were discontinued.
It was especially inconvenient for the NV200, which had just been adopted as the new New York City standard model taxi, since it could comfortably hold several people, their luggage, and was wheelchair accessible.
The other thing that happened to the consumer, is manufacturer started making bigger vehicles because of the emission rules, but customers started feeling like small vehicles are unsafe because all the other cars on the road are big. So it become a rush to get a big car as well now we have an entire generation that wants a big car because is safety. All stemming from the intension of lowing emissions.
The "big car better" narrative was also heavily pushed by the auto industry so people wouldn't demand small, affordable trucks.
Listen to country songs or watch TV shows about real men doing real man ranch things in their real man American trucks that have a perfect wax job right before splashing through the mud cinematiccally. They're everywhere.
They don't want people wanting vehicles that cost less and require real innovation in fuel economy. They want you to buy a $75,000 F150 Super Crew.
They also side with the insurance lobby to require separate liability insurance policies on all your vehicles even though your vehicles aren't covered by liability policies. Otherwise you might buy a cheap used Kei truck without a separate policy for hauling stuff every few weeks and an affordable, efficient small car for daily driving with full coverage, all for less than half the price of a new pickup.
I wish the US would allow chinese evs and Japanese kei cars here.
You can import a Kei car that's 25 years old, but some states don't allow them to be registered.
Texas finally started allowing them to be registered in 2025, and they're about 8-10 grand out the door. When the time comes to replace my NV200, I may look into getting one as a beater cargo car alongside a small electric or hybrid car as my daily driver. Would still cost less than a used full-size pickup or cargo van.
But I'm also keeping a close eye on Slate. Those have potential, but the Bezos investment has me questioning it.
I want an autozam az1 or the Suzuki version, but California won't let them be registered. I might have to register out of state but with an the flock cameras i will get pulled over for sure.