Microvan

<h2 id="economics">Economics</h2>
<p>Tax and insurance benefits in some locations make these models particularly inexpensive. For example, in rural Japan, kei-car vehicles are exempted from a certification that adequate parking is available for the vehicle.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> They are, therefore, widely used for small businesses in these places.
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<h2 id="design">Design</h2>
<p>The first vehicle to adopt the bodystyle of a van, with the engine installed in front of the driver, was the 1970s <a href="/facts/Honda_Life/v7anYFBJ">Honda Life "StepVan"</a>. Some microvans use a drivetrain with the engine installed transversely, using front- or all-wheel drive, while others use a <a href="/facts/Cabover/uNaS3SLa">cabover</a> approach where the engine is installed beneath the driver, while still using all-wheel or rear-wheel drive powertrains. Cabover variants usually share their chassis with <a href="/facts/Kei_truck/NREVnx4X">kei truck</a> derivatives from the same manufacturer.
</p><p>Most microvans have two swinging front doors, two <a href="/facts/Sliding_door_(vehicle)/s0Ied1Qv">sliding rear doors</a> and a large tailgate. Seating can vary from two to nine; these seats are usually very thin and vertical to optimise room. The side windows in <a href="/facts/Commercial_vehicle/VoUW0CIH">commercial</a>-only versions of microvans are replaced by metallic panels; this type of microvan is sometimes called a "blind van". Some models also feature <a href="/facts/Pickup_truck/Pe5zVzIB">pick-up</a> variants with one or two seat rows. Engines usually have displacements under 1.0 L; for example, Japanese microvans have a limit of 660 cc. Outside the Japanese market,  microvans are available with 850-cc to 1.6-L engines.
</p><p>The kei car regulation is used only in Japan, though other Asian automakers also design microvans with similar characteristics. The microvans are commonly known as "<a href="/facts/Three-box_styling/Knw0vr0Q">kei one-box</a>" in Japan; their pick-up versions are known as <a href="/facts/Kei_truck/NREVnx4X">kei trucks</a>.
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<h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2>
<h3>Kei microvans</h3>

<h3>Non-kei microvans</h3>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Compact_van/3X00w9uB">Compact van</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Panel_van/af18pFsY">Panel van</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Microvans.

<ul><li><a href="http://www.microvanowners.co.uk/">Micro Van Owners Web Site/Forum</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Chinese Hero Cars: The Mian Bao Che Archived 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine - China Car Times <a href="http://www.chinacartimes.com/2007/03/15/chinese-hero-cars-the-mian-bao-che/" target="_blank">http://www.chinacartimes.com/2007/03/15/chinese-hero-cars-the-mian-bao-che/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Nunn, Peter (January–February 2005). "Minicars: Cheap and Cheerful". JAMA. Retrieved 2012-05-10. <a href="http://www.jama-english.jp/europe/news/2005/jan-feb/peternunn.html" target="_blank">http://www.jama-english.jp/europe/news/2005/jan-feb/peternunn.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Microvan open-in-new

Microvan