Minitruck, van import enthusiasts wary of potential restrictions in certain states

Tiny, older import vehicles enjoy a sizable enthusiast following in the U.S. But in certain states, owners are reporting snags in registering kei-jidosha, a class of Japanese light vehicles — kei for short.

In fact, several kei owners in Massachusetts went to a July 17 meeting of the state Department of Transportation's board of directors to urge the state to revisit its stance on not issuing registrations and titles for the little trucks and vans. The MassDOT board received 30 voicemails with the same subject and message.

Small Japanese domestic market vehicles — or JDM vehicles — don't meet U.S. safety and emissions requirements.

According to federal law, they can't be registered in the country until they turn 25 years old. At that point, federal regulators consider them antiques, and it is left to states to decide which of them are allowed on roads and to what extent. Owners of Japanese mini import vehicles in Maine, Rhode Island and other states have also encountered registration restrictions.

But kei owners used the July meeting's public comment session to say their understanding was that they could legally register their vehicles in the state and that they didn't receive enough clarity on when and why that changed.

"One of my questions is where does this end?" one speaker said. "If we're saying that kei cars, kei trucks are not allowed on the road because of safety issues, are custom cars and hot rods and vehicles that we see at the ice cream stands in summertime, with people showing off their vehicles?"

Another kei owner said he purchased his vehicle in May after consulting with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, then picked it up from the Port of New Jersey in July. He said he was told that same month that the vehicle couldn't be registered. He told the board the situation wasted his money and time and urged the RMV to reconsider its stance on Japanese import vehicles.

The RMV is "reviewing its policies for registration of kei trucks," according to its website. Existing unexpired registrations for kei trucks and vans will stay active as the RMV reassesses industry standards for the vehicles and develops an updated policy addressing their registration, it said.

For Philip and Tricia Pinsoneault of Westland, Mich., the 1993 Mazda Autozam Scrum they purchased last year is a good value and convenient. They said they use the minitruck for city driving and to transport vintage furniture and other items they purchase at garage sales.

The state of Michigan seems concerned that the minitrucks are not modifiable to meet road standards, Philip Pinsoneault said. But he said he has all the paperwork from the federal government that says the vehicle doesn't have to.

The Michigan Secretary of State office at first refused to register the vehicle and provide a license plate, Tricia Pinsoneault told Automotive News. It took multiple calls and visits to receive a plate, she said. The Pinsoneaults bought their tiny truck from Duncan Imports in Tennessee. The vehicle came with a Tennessee title, which Michigan initially refused to accept.

"They were acting like we wanted to get an American title for the first time," she said. "They kept saying to me, 'You can't title it.' I kept repeating, 'It is already titled. I'm not asking to get it titled. I'm asking to get it plated. There's a difference.' "

She is waiting to see whether Michigan restricts kei vehicle registrations, as other states have.

"We aren't taking it all over the country, but yes, we are concerned about that and we're trying to plan ahead for that situation," she said.

Richard Truett contributed to this report.