Kei-class trucks and minivans from Japan are finding US buyers who want pickups that fit the urban environment. Some DMVs and safety regulators have other ideas.
Kei-class trucks and minivans from Japan are finding US buyers who want pickups that fit the urban environment. Some DMVs and safety regulators have other ideas.
Do you know how hard it was for me to buy a Prius? First we looked at dealerships, none of which had any to test drive so they kept stealing us toward their SUVs and Trucks. Then we went to the Chicago auto show where we could look at whatever the fuck we wanted and confirmed we would in fact like a Prius. Then we started calling up dealerships to ask if they had a Prius to test drive until we finally had a “lucky winner”. We drove out to the dealership, test drove the car, argued with them about what we actually wanted, and then finally signed papers and gave a down payment on a car. The. We waited 6 months for delivery and a recall lift. In total it took us 9 months to get our small little Prius. Other small cars were in a similar situation. However, if you waltzed into any dealership and asked for a giant truck, you could buy one that day with no interest! I know so because my father in law did just that the same year we got our Prius. Quite sad really.
I bought one five months ago, and finally they were able to source one but they had to do a dealer trade. I never even got to see the combination of options I wanted in person in advance because supply for that car was so limited.
It’s just not as profitable a vehicle to sell compared to those big trucks. And even then, sales are way behind their RAV4.