Look for those profiting from the status quo to do everything possible outside of the market to stop it.

The purpose of the system is what it does. The purpose of seemingly all regulatory institutions is to gain and maintain power for the tribe in power.

These trucks are illegal to sell new in the states

Japanese producers aren’t designing these vehicles with American second hand JDM import buyers in mind

Kei-truck manufacturers make no profit off this US uptick and consumers are at best irritated and at worst paying import fees because their domestic producers refuse to meet their needs and force them to cough up more cash for a vacuously useful and environmentally harmful oversized utility vehicles

Markets can work, this is a clear example of it breaking down (for the US) and a sign the government should step in to steer the - arguably flailing - market

You point out US consumers might be annoyed at bad local options and are looking elsewhere then suggest that this is a failure of the market when in fact it is this market action that permits the consumer to find a better solution for their problems. All government can do if they "step in" is make this even harder.

You cannot Force a market.

What is your point? I am simply stating that you are overstating the actual market share of this demand. I don't disagree, modern trucks are comically too large but Kei trucks are not a response to it.

It's not that simple. Regulations are at least partially, if not primarily to blame for car bloat. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24139147/suvs-trucks-popu...

The truck market is what it is because over time consumers have favoured a certain type of trucks when given the choice. If people picked the smaller truck at the dealership when shown the options trucks would look differently today.

Regulations do not push for ever bigger trucks, they may have thresholds so at most they might favour a minimum size but after that it's up to the market. My understanding is that the rules for light trucks date from the 70s, which I'm sure means that trucks could be much smaller and still use that "loophole".

So so one buys small trucks because there aren't any so people that just need a truck buy are large one as there are no new small truck in the market so sales numbers of large truck go up so more are made because large truck sales are up and viscous cycle continues untilled it gets so bad people who just want a small truck start importing used decades old kie trucks from Japan because regulations have distorted the local market. If it was functioning properly no one would go to all the effort as that is a signal of high unmet demand.

That does not happen because of regulations but because, again, that what consumers freely choose when given the choice.

"Ford F-Series expanded its lead in 2023, on sales of 750,789".

"Last year (2023), more than 7,500 Kei trucks were imported to the U.S. from Japan."

So the imported amount (not sold to consumer necessarily) is still less than 1% of the total market. Napkin math with chevy at 200k and capping it at 1mm for total.

The number being imported by highly motivated individuals is only a small fraction of the extent of this failure.

If all vehicles were subject to the same regulations the size increases would have been in line with normal cars. If there was a lot less regulation and people weren't demanding so many gimmicks, you could probably get a very basic work truck, about as big as a Hiluxe, for $5k.

My college actually used a few Kei trucks for the maintenance people years ago. I assume they could get them new(ish?) because they weren't used on road. They always seemed perfect for the job, and I have seen them around in other roles like that, but I only recently saw one on-road. I get the appeal, but I'd take a Maverick over one every time.

Yes, a Maverick is a much more versatile vehicle for the US market; however, try finding one.

Ford has a marketplace dilemma. They know they could sell lots of these but they really don't want to make them. They would much rather make/sell a big honkin' monstrosity that very few buyers actually need --- because $$$.

Pretty common for a lot of truck-SUV builds, like how the Toyota 4Runner is bascially just an enclosed Tacoma; essentially a Hilux-based SUV

Why build a Maverick when a Bronco sells for $15K more.

They have a capacity issue --- and little motivation to solve it.