"Keijidosha," or "Kei car" for short, means "light vehicle." The KeiClass is a Japanese urban vehicle that is limited to 660 cc, tax-free, eligible for parking spaces, and very technologically advanced whether it's a car, van or pickup. Maximum size restrictions are 3.4 meters long, 1.48 meters wide and 2 meters tall. First-year students were asked to research and design KeiClass cars and this gallery is the result of some of their work.
Implications - Students entering the competition went to seminars led by representatives from leading car manufacturers in Japan. Completed projects were then judged by representatives from Daihatsu and Suzuki.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Kei Car Design Competitions
- Design competitions for Kei cars can be held to encourage innovation in compact vehicle design and explore new design concepts.
- Technologically Advanced Urban Vehicles
- As technology continues to evolve, there are opportunities to create new urban vehicles that are tax-free, eligible for parking spaces and feature predictive analytics and other advanced features.
- Industry-student Collaboration
- Collaborations between students and leading industry professionals in design and manufacturing can be leveraged to create innovative design concepts and find new technologies to incorporate in the manufacturing process.
Where This Applies
- Automobile Industry
- Automobile manufacturers can incorporate innovative, tax-free, urban vehicles, such as Kei cars, into their product lines as they continue to develop new products that fit within the changing landscape of the automotive industry.
- Education Industry
- Educational institutions can provide opportunities for students to work directly with industry professionals and gain valuable hands-on experience while developing innovative design concepts.
- Design Industry
- The design industry can play an integral role in developing innovative design concepts for tax-free, urban vehicles which meet the needs of a changing urban landscape.
