The Suzuki Palette is a kei car produced by Suzuki from January 2008 to February 2013. The Suzuki Palette has twin rear sliding doors, and competes directly with the Daihatsu Tanto. During 2009 the higher spec Suzuki Palette S models were replaced by the Suzuki Palette SW, whose revised frontal design is positioned to better compete with the Daihatsu Tanto Custom. Since the addition of the SW, the Suzuki Palette range has generally performed well in the sales charts.
On December 1, 2009, the Nissan Roox was released, an OEM version of the Suzuki Palette that was first shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The Nissan Roox Highway Star is a rebadged Suzuki Palette SW. On June 26, 2012, the Mazda Flair Wagon was released, another OEM version of the Palette.
The Palette was replaced in February 2013 by the Suzuki Spacia, with a corresponding new Mazda Flair Wagon launched simultaneously. The Nissan Roox was discontinued and replaced by Nissan Dayz Roox, a new model designed with Mitsubishi Motors. In 2020, the Roox nameplate returned as the replacement of Dayz Roox. The newer Roox is based on the second generation eK Space.
'Kei car' means the smallest category of Japanese, expressway-legal, light motor vehicles. 'Kei' is diminutive for kei-jidōsha,, or "light automobile". With restricted dimensions and engine specifications, owners benefit firstly from lower taxes and insurance rates. And in most rural areas, importantly, they are also exempted from the general Japanese shako shomeisho (車庫証明書) parking-space ownership requirement to legally buy a motor vehicle at all, as street parking is generally restricted in Japan. Japan's carmakers also make microvans and kei trucks within this legal category.
The Mazda Bongo, also known as Mazda E-Series and the Ford Econovan, is a cabover van and pickup truck manufactured by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda since 1966. The Bongo name was also used for the Bongo Friendee, which is not a cabover design.
The Nissan AD is a subcompact van and wagon built by Nissan since 1982. The AD is sold under a different name when manufactured as a passenger car, called the Nissan Wingroad.
The Suzuki Wagon R is a kei car manufactured and marketed by Suzuki since 1993. The R in the name stands for Revolution and Relaxation. The Wagon R uses a "tall wagon" configuration to maximize cabin space within kei car dimensional restrictions. The Wagon R is also sold by Mazda as the AZ-Wagon from 1994 to 2012 and as the Flair from 2012.
The Daihatsu Hijet is a cab over microvan and kei truck produced and sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu since 1960. Despite the similarities between the Hijet name and Toyota's naming scheme for its trucks and vans, the name "Hijet" has been in use for Daihatsu's kei trucks and microvans since 1960, over two decades before Toyota took control. "Hijet", when transliterated into Japanese, is very similar to "Midget", one of Daihatsu's other mini-trucks. According to Daihatsu, the name "Hijet" was created to imply that the vehicle offers higher performance than the Midget. The Hijet competes in Japan with the Honda Acty, Mitsubishi Minicab, Nissan Clipper, Subaru Sambar and Suzuki Carry.
The Japan Mobility Show (ジャパンモビリティショー) (TMS) is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, and normally sees more concept cars than actual production car introductions which is the reason why the auto press see the show as one of the motorshow's big five.
The Mitsubishi eK is a kei car series from Mitsubishi Motors, based on the long-running Minica, and first introduced on October 11, 2001. According to the company, the "eK" name stands for "excellent keijidōsha" or "excellent minicar".
The Nissan Serena is a minivan manufactured by Nissan, joining the slightly larger Vanette. The car was engineered by Nissan's Aichi Manufacturing Division and launched in 1991 as a compact passenger van, and it grew larger with each generation over the years. Earlier versions were front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with a live axle mounted on leaf springs.
The Nissan Lafesta is a compact MPV built by Nissan mainly for the Japanese market.
The Suzuki MR Wagon is a 4-seater kei car manufactured by Suzuki for the Japanese market only, and also marketed in Japan by Nissan as the Nissan Moco under an OEM agreement. The model debuted in 2001, and since 2011 it has been in its third generation. The first generation was also produced and sold in India by Maruti Suzuki as Maruti Zen Estilo, which was launched in 2006, Maruti Zen Estilo was discontinued in 2009 and renamed as Maruti Estilo.
The Daihatsu Tanto Exe is a kei car manufactured by the Japanese carmaker Daihatsu. The Tanto Exe made its debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and was launched on 24 December 2009. It was also sold by Subaru as the Subaru Lucra, which was launched on 20 April 2010.
The Mazda Premacy is a passenger minivan that was built by the Japanese manufacturer Mazda from 1999 to 2018.
The Suzuki Solio is a mini MPV manufactured and marketed by Suzuki since 1997. The preceding model and the first generation Solio were derived from the narrower Wagon R.
The Suzuki R engine is an inline-three engine that has been produced by Suzuki since 2011. Initially introduced in the third-generation MR Wagon, and intended as a replacement for the K6A engine, the R engine has since been used in various Suzuki's, such as the Alto, the Wagon R, and the Carry.
The Suzuki Spacia is a kei car produced by Suzuki. It was a replacement for the Suzuki Palette, which was discontinued in February 2013. It improves upon fuel efficiency, is lighter and features a larger cabin than its predecessor. The vehicle is also supplied to Mazda as the Mazda Flair Wagon.
NMKV Co., Ltd. is a joint venture company between Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Motors in the Japanese market to design, develop, and manufacture kei cars under Nissan and Mitsubishi brands. The company currently produces Mitsubishi eK, Nissan Dayz, Mitsubishi eK Space and Nissan Roox for the domestic market. NMKV stands for Nissan Mitsubishi Kei Vehicle. Despite that, the abbreviation was never announced officially by the company.
The Suzuki K engine family is a series of automobile engines from Suzuki, introduced in 1994. Displacements range from 0.7 L to 1.5 L. All engines have aluminium cylinder blocks with three or four cylinders in-line. Cylinder heads have two overhead camshafts, driven by chain, and four valves per cylinder. Fuel is gasoline/petrol, metered by multipoint fuel injection or direct injection. Some variants are turbocharged.
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Rear view
Suzuki Palette SW
Suzuki Palette SW
Mazda Flair Wagon
Nissan Roox
Nissan Roox Highway Star
2010 Suzuki Palette X interior
