Forbidden Fruit: It’s Completely Absurd These 10 Incredible Vehicles Are NOT Sold In The U.S.

We wish they would make it over to our shores, but it's not likely

[Photo: Daihatsu]

5) Daihatsu Copen / other Kei cars

I know what you’re thinking. “Why do we need another tiny sports car? We have the Mazda Miata!” That’s true, but this is smaller still. This is an example of the Japanese kei car, a certain segment of subcompacts brought about by government regulation requiring small form factors and microscopic engines, to address Japan’s issue of limited space and avoiding the prospect of clogging the roads with massive cars and SUVs, like we tend to do here in America.

Thing is, we definitely don’t have the space limitations folks contend with in Japan, but there’s a certain charm to driving something small like this. Daihatsu, a Japanese brand under Toyota’s wing, sold some cars in the U.S. market several years ago before ultimately pulling out. Again, as a breath of fresh air to the horde of huge SUVs on our shores, kei cars could be a fun addition to our roads.