Could a Japan-style mini EV kei category really work in Europe?

The city car segment has been shrinking for years as manufacturers have struggled to make decent profits from vehicles that are regulated just the same as a Range Rover or BMW 7 Series. 

The problem has been compounded by the move to electrification because the cost of the battery is even harder to mask in something sub-4.0m long. You could reduce the size of the battery, but buyers might not accept the paucity of range. 

Look what happened to the Honda E city car – pulled from Europe after just three years on sale because not enough people were happy to pay £37,395 for a car with a range of just 130 miles.

However, European car makers think they’ve hit on the solution: introduce a new electric category similar to Japan’s diminutive kei class that restricts aspects such as size, weight and power but unlocks certain benefits not available to larger cars.

The