Latest news with #ForTwo
Business Mayor
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Mayor
BYD's electric 'K-Car' spied, targets Japan's iconic mini-vehicle segment
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is preparing to challenge Japan's tightly held mini-vehicle market with a bold new contender: a fully electric kei car engineered specifically for Japanese roads. Recently leaked spy photos reveal a compact prototype that is being tested. It features hallmark design elements like sliding rear doors and a dual A-pillar layout, indicating strict adherence to Japan's kei car regulations. Toyota Pixis Mega Kei cars , short for keijidōsha (light automobiles), are a uniquely Japanese category of ultra-compact vehicles. By law, they must not exceed 3.4 meters in length, 1.48 meters in width, and 2 meters in height, with engine output capped at 64 horsepower. These vehicles receive tax and parking benefits, making them ideal for urban drivers. Despite incentive cuts in 2014—including a 50% hike in kei car taxes—these vehicles still account for roughly 35% of Japan's auto market. Suzuki Hustler BYD's kei car would be the first ground-up electric model in this category developed by a foreign automaker. While Smart once adapted its ForTwo and Hyundai's Inster came close, neither was designed solely for Japan's kei standards. In contrast, BYD has developed an all-new platform with Japan in mind. Daihatsu Mira Cocoa Reports from China suggest the vehicle will feature a 20 kWh battery delivering 180 km WLTC range, 100 kW fast charging, and an efficient heat pump HVAC system. With an expected price of 2.5 million yan (17,700 USD), it will compete directly with the Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK X EV—Japan's two leading electric kei cars. Both were launched in 2022 by the NMKV joint venture, featuring 20 kWh batteries and 47 kW motors. Read More Ford's first-quarter US auto sales rise 6.8% - WTAQ Mitsubishi EK Custom BYD plans to produce the model in China for export to Japan starting in late 2026 and aims for a 40% share of the electric kei market within a few years. Its push into this category follows modest success in Japan with the Dolphin and Seal EVs, which helped BYD reach over 2,200 vehicle sales in 2024. The company plans to expand its dealership network to 100 locations by 2025. Nissan Sakura Only Daihatsu, Honda, Suzuki, and the Nissan-Mitsubishi NMKV partnership build kei cars at scale, while Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru rely on rebadged models. BYD's entry would mark the first serious competition from outside Japan. Honda N-One Mugen 'Developing a proper kei car requires completely rethinking vehicle architecture,' said analyst Li Ming. 'BYD's move signals a deep commitment to the Japanese market.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Living In A 2006 Smart ForTwo Allowed This Woman To Retire At 65
Thanks to the decisions made by President Donald Trump and his administration, the American economy is in a more volatile place than it's been in several years, and that's arguably most consequential for our country's senior citizens who are preparing to retire. This is true for members of my family who are hoping to retire, and for Kai, a former backpacker who now lives full-time in her European-spec 2006 Smart ForTwo. Kai chose to live in her ForTwo because she wanted to retire at age 65, but, like many Americans, can't afford to do so while also waiting until she hits age 70 to collect the maximum allowance provided by Social Security. Her solution? Move into her car to save money. She's been living out of her 100-inch-long 2006 Smart ForTwo for over a year, and she seems to enjoy it despite the lack of a toilet or shower. Read more: These Are What You Wanted As First Cars (And What You Got Instead) A large portion of our lives is spent sleeping, and sleeping comfortably in a Smart car sounds impossible, but Kai says it's plenty comfortable for her. She folds the passenger seat flat, and stacks several inflatable sleeping pads on top of it. Kai stands 5-foot-5-inches tall and says she has plenty of space to comfortably sleep on her side since her sleeping arrangement provides three extra inches of space to spread out. In order to hoist herself into her makeshift bed, she has to enter through the driver's side, turn her back to the passenger seat and brace her feet against the driver's door to push herself up on top of the pile of inflatable pads before kicking her feet toward the back window where she can stretch out. At least since she sleeps with her head near the windshield, she gets a great view of the stars every night. This level of downsizing would be too drastic for most people, but not for former backpacker Kai. She is used to living minimally, which is a good thing since she lives without a bathroom, bedroom, traditional kitchen, or really any creature comfort that's provided by a house or even a studio apartment. Normally Kai takes care of bathroom duties out in nature, but since she appears to be set up in a desert, she says she's faced severe sand storms that force her to take care of business inside the car. When necessary, she sets a plastic bin that's lined with a trash bag on the driver's seat, sits in that and does her business in the tub into a plastic zipper bag that's filled with pine cat litter pellets. She refers to it as her emergency toilet. To cook, Kai uses the Smart's fold-down tailgate as the cooking surface, where she has a kettle for water boiling and a single-burner alcohol stove that's fueled by isopropyl alcohol. She has one bin that can be used as a cool box, and she uses insulated water bottles for other things. Kai has already lived out of her ForTwo for 14 months, and hopes to continue doing so until she hits the age of 70 and becomes eligible to receive her maximum Social Security benefits. While she seems to be just fine living out of her car, I believe it's unfortunate that people like her who have earned the right to retire have to turn to such extremes in order to live off of the government assistance program they've paid into their whole lives. But maybe I'm the extremist for holding such controversial views. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Smart ForTwo Turned Into An Off-Road Machine
Read the full story on Backfire News Sometimes we look at builds like this Smart ForTwo transformed into a hardcore off-roader and just are amazed at human ingenuity. Obviously, this thing was built in part for laughs and we're sure anyone who takes it out on trails will get just that. Oh, and we should mention it's up for sale, so you could be the one making people's day in the current owner of this thing made it in a somewhat simple, ingenious way. After removing the body off a 2008 Polaris RZR they grafted the body from a 2011 Smart car onto the chassis. This is a fairly popular way to easily build something extreme, although some will consider it 'cheating.' We don't. According to the seller, the Smart was an all-electric ForTwo. That does explain some of the aesthetics elements to the body. In a way, having the EV be used on a rocking side-by-side is almost like poetic justice or maybe nature healing – take your pick. What this means is you get to cruise on trails with a little bit more protection and comfort. While a Smart ForTwo doesn't seem to offer much of either among cars, a RZR isn't exactly a plush, luxurious ride. You get a fully enclosed interior, keeping mud, dust, etc. out. Plus there is some noise insulation from the setup. As the seller points out, you also have power windows and a stereo to listen to, which are admittedly nice additions. Plus, you get a cargo area, something the ForTwo normally doesn't really offer, so that's a nice bonus. But the real treat is seeing the faces of people as you blast along a trail or even tool down your local road (if you can legally register it to drive on the street where you live). See the listing for this vehicle here. Images via Ryan Hutchinson/Facebook Marketplace
