Small, Boxy and Very Foxy

Loading...

Photo 1 of 20

With a war pushing fuel prices to heights not seen for a while, suddenly the prospect of filling up your car or van carries higher levels of dread than it already did. Maybe it’s the final straw to taking the plunge into an EV? Or if an EV is not your thing, just something that’s a little easier on the dinosaur juice? Well this Honda Vamos is tiny but roomy and sips petrol rather than chugging it. Read on...

The Honda Vamos is a Kei car, a Japanese class of vehicle that has size and power restrictions. In return for their diminutive size the kei cars attract lower taxes and insurance compared to regular cars. As a result they are hugely popular in Japan and despite the government increasing taxes to slow their rapidly growing market share, they still represent around a third of domestic sales in Japan.

Kei cars are made almost exclusively for the domestic Japanese market as the rest of the world finds them too small and they lack the incentives they get in Japan. However, there is a growing following for Kei cars around the world as they are economical to run and have a cool factor, possibly as a reaction to the ever growing size or regular cars. They can also be straight up brilliant, whether it’s the Honda Beat or S660 or Suzuki Cappucino or Autozam AZ-1 for their brilliant mini supercar status, or the more practical vehicles like this Honda Vamos for their ability to create space in such a small package.

This 2002 Honda Vamos has travelled 88,000kms and boasts a whopping 51hp to the rear wheels. It may not be fast but it will get you where you need to go, with a cargo of humans or stuff and it won’t use much petrol in the process.

This Vamos is available to buy now for Turners Otahuhu for $7990. More details here.