A Presidential Crush Meets a Pocket 4×4
By now, you’ve probably heard about President Donald J. Trump confessing his newfound love for kei cars – you know, the diminutive machines in Japan meant for tax breaks and tight city streets. He liked them enough to openly wonder what they’d be like on American roads and even hinted at pushing regulators to allow them in.
That sounds swell if you’re one of the many fans still holding out hope for a Suzuki Jimny (formerly known as the Samurai) comeback in the US. The idea gets even more interesting when you remember that the Jimny already exists in true kei form in Japan. It’s smaller than the global model, narrower through the hips, and powered by a tiny engine that fits neatly within Japan’s regulations.
On paper, that feels like exactly the kind of car Trump was talking about. In practice, things get messy fast.
Suzuki
The Jimny, Shrunk to Kei Proportions
In Japan, Suzuki sells two flavors of Jimny. The one enthusiasts outside the country usually know is the Jimny Sierra, with its flared fenders and 1.5-liter engine. The one playing by kei rules is something else entirely.
The kei Jimny ditches the wide arches, squeezes its body to measures just under 11.1 feet long, about 4.8 feet wide, and roughly 5.7 feet tall. It’s powered by a turbocharged 40-cubic-inch (0.66-liter) three-cylinder engine producing 63 horsepower, paired with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
Despite the smaller size and power, the kei Jimny still rides on a ladder frame, still uses a proper part-time 4WD system, and still looks unapologetically boxy. It’s charming, capable, and very Japanese in how precisely it’s tailored to its domestic ruleset.
Recent updates added better safety tech and a more modern infotainment option, but visually and mechanically, it sticks to the same honest formula that’s kept demand high since 2018.
Suzuki
Why America Is Still a Stretch
Even with Trump’s apparent enthusiasm, the Jimny faces long odds in the US. Safety regulations remain the biggest obstacle. Size, crash structures, and pedestrian protection standards all work against a short, narrow, body-on-frame vehicle. The Jimny’s new driver-assist tech helps, but it doesn’t change the physics.
There’s also the cultural side. Kei cars thrive in dense cities built around them, not in a market dominated by pickups, SUVs, and long-distance driving. Add import costs, left-hand-drive conversion, and Suzuki’s absence from the US market, and the math quickly stops working.
A kei Jimny in America sounds fun, and it always has. For now, it still feels more like a political curiosity than an approaching reality.
Hagerty
