By Tom Cowie
It’s no revelation to say that Australia’s utes are getting wider, taller and heavier. If this was a sporting competition, you’d be asking for a urine sample.
When these ever-expanding vehicles dominate sales, it can create issues on the roads. At car parks around Melbourne, monster utes bulge against painted lines, like gym junkies wearing small-size T-shirts.
Kei truck owners (from left) Gregory MacCallum-Le, Stephen Mason, Jean Darling (crouching) and Jason O’Callaghan.Credit: Chris Hopkins
But for some, bigger isn’t always better.
Imported Japanese mini trucks, known as kei trucks, are becoming an increasingly common sight on Melbourne’s streets as alternatives for carrying tools or delivering a load, without the extra bulk.
One reason for the boom in kei trucks is price.
Popular models such as the Suzuki Carry, Honda Acty and Daihatsu Hijet cost between $20,000 and $25,000 to import to Australia. For that, it has a tray size comparable to the big utes that are twice as expensive.
“I like the idea of something that’s peak efficiency,” said Justin Narayan, a former motor journalist and now the owner of car importer Cult & Classic.
“It’s a very Japanese idea of things being just right and just enough.”
Getting hold of a kei truck isn’t as simple as going to a traditional car dealerships and ordering one. Technically, they aren’t available in Australia.
Instead, kei trucks are part of a category known as “grey imports”, which means they are brought in to the country privately before being certified to drive on local roads.
Big utes might be popular, said Narayan, but they weren’t always very useful for their number one function: work. It’s not an unusual sight to see a Dodge Ram or Ford Raptor without a scratch.
At prices hovering around $100,000 for those premium models, it’s perhaps understandable why.
“You can’t do anything with them [large utes], the trays are too small. People are looking for something they can thrash and give a hard time,” Narayan said.
“You never see a neat five-year-old wheelbarrow.”
It probably goes without saying that kei trucks don’t come with much grunt under the hood. The three-cylinder 660cc engines are tiny compared to the V6s and turbo diesels in the bigger utes.
But that seems to suit kei truck enthusiasts who don’t need or want more power.
“In a world where every vehicle comes loaded with features and oversized everything, there’s something refreshing about driving something so slow and basic,” said Gregory MacCallum-Le, owner of a 2019 Honda Acty.
The top speed of 120km/h is not for demons, but it does bring further economic benefits, however.
The owners of kei trucks say they are cheaper and lighter than bigger utes on the market.Credit: Chris Hopkins
A full tank of a little over 30 litres of fuel is enough to drive 500 kilometres, said owner Jason O’Callaghan, who transports gear for his gaming experience business, Events Engine.
Weighing in at just 700 kilograms means the tyres don’t wear out quickly either, he said.
“As far as keeping costs down, it’s wonderful,” he said.
For owners like Stephen Mason, who runs a circular economy social enterprise called Cirque Du Soil, kei trucks agree with his philosophical approach to consumption.
Electric vehicles were not always the best choice, he said, as emissions were high during manufacturing and their batteries required rare earth minerals.
“Any vehicle is going to have an environmental impact,” he said. “We wanted to have the most efficient vehicle from cradle to grave. There was no better option than the kei truck.”
With a width of 1.5 metres and length of 3.4 metres, a kei truck’s size is comparable to a compact car. This made them very manoeuvrable for city driving, Mason said.
“There is nothing easier to park,” he said.
An advertisement for the Subaru Brumby, a small ute popular in Australia in the 1970s and ’80s.Credit: Fairfax Media
While they appear to be best suited for doing work in the inner suburbs, farmers have reportedly taken a shine to them too as they have the option of four-wheel-drive.
Travis Macdonald, the general manager of Davey Motor Group in Geelong, which sells up to 600 kei trucks each year, said the low tray height made them a popular alternative to quad bikes.
Macdonald said kei trucks were a window into the many vehicle models that never reach Australia because it is a small market.
“We get the opportunity to bring these different vehicles in that Australia really missed out on,” he said.
While kei trucks might be a relatively rare sight on the streets, Narayan said smaller utes used to be much more common in Australia before Americanised pick-ups took over.
One example was the Subaru Brumby, which was a popular model in Australia in the 1970s and ’80s.
He mused whether history was repeating, as that era was also marked by high inflation and economic uncertainty.
“We’ve got a history with compact utes,” he said.
“I genuinely wonder too, if, our economic situation and everything that has occurred over the past five years has made people more rational, too.
“Given all the crap in the world, people just want an honest purchase.”
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