Kei cars for Europe?

In an intriguing move at the start of December, Luca de Meo, Chief Executive of Renault and current president of European trade body ACEA, called on European authorities to adjust market regulations to create a European version of the Japanese kei car segment. Kei (or keijidosha to give it its full name) means light automobile and refers to cars which have a maximum width of 1.48m, a maximum length of 3.4m, a maximum engine size of 660cc and 47kW maximum power. The segment was created in 1949 to give as many Japanese people as possible an affordable means of personal transport as the country rebuilt after the Second World War. If judged by its longevity, this policy appears to have been a success as the kei  segment accounts for 35-40% of the market.