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Kei van campers are miracles of space utilization

In the tight streets of Japan, tiny cars make a lot of sense, particularly the government-restricted kei class of cars. They're especially small with similarly small engines, and besides being easier to maneuver and park, they're also cheaper to own and run. But surely camping in one would be a somewhat cramped, unpleasant experience, right? Think again. YouTuber Tokyo Lens, someone who creates a variety of interesting videos about places, people and things in Japan, went on a camping trip with what seems to be a pop-top Suzuki Every kei van. He details his experience and highlights all the neat features crammed into the little space. It really is remarkable how much there is. We were particularly taken by the nice looking cabinetry, the fact that a person can pretty much fully stretch out in the pop top and that there's actually a microwave and a tiny sink with a water-tank-supplied faucet. Check out the whole video for a look at how much you can do with a small space, as well as some nice shots of the Japanese countryside. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: YouTube / Tokyo Lens Suzuki Minivan/Van

Suzuki previews e-Survivor concept, the cutest ute yet

If you've ever thought of Suzuki as a whimsical manufacturer of small or smallish vehicles, you're going to like what the manufacturer plans to show at the upcoming 45 th Tokyo Motor Show. The e-Survivor Concept reimagines the classic Suzuki jeep as an all-electric vehicle, and it's filled with interesting styling cues both retro and futuristic. The e-Survivor is not only lightweight in construction, it also looks like it, with vestigial wheelarches and see-through doors. The electric motors are housed in the wheels, leaving the ladder-frame construction able to be as skinny as possible. The dashboard houses large screens showing infotainment controls, navigation settings and the vehicle itself, and there are rear-view cameras in place of mirrors. According to the manufacturer, the e-Survivor is a compact SUV of "the next age," which could even hint of an electric 4x4 being the way for Suzuki to survive in this century — or in its second century: the company is 100 years old in 2020, and its concepts show what Suzuki sees beyond that. Perhaps something from the e-Survivor will make production after 2020; independent wheel-mounted electric motors would certainly suit a small, light SUV. Other exhibits are the "tall miniwagon" Spacia Concept, the XBEE crossover available in several different guises, the friendly-looking Carry Open-Air Market Concept and a "neo-retro styled" SV650X bike. Related Video:

Regulators consider adding more carmakers to Takata recall

Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal has been getting a lot of press recently, but the Takata airbag inflator affair could be grabbing headlines again soon. According to Bloomberg, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is contemplating an expansion to the campaign that could add seven automakers to the 12 already affected. They are Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Spartan Motors, Suzuki, Tesla, Volvo Trucks, and VW Group. To be clear, there's no recall for any of these automakers, yet. The government is simply asking for a full list of vehicles that each of them have with Takata-supplied inflators containing ammonium nitrate propellant. The agency is concerned this substance could play a roll in the ruptures. "NHTSA is considering not only whether to issue an administrative order that would coordinate the remedy programs associated with the current Takata recalls, but also whether such an order should include expansion of the current recalls," the letters say. All seven can be viewed, here. From a report supplied by Takata, the government already knows that the company supplied 887,055 inflators with ammonium-nitrate propellant to VW and 184,926 of them to Tesla. In an incident during the summer, a side airbag allegedly burst in a 2015 VW Tiguan. In early September, NHTSA put out a revised report that there were 23.4 million inflators to be replaced in 19.2 million vehicles in the US. An earlier accounting from the agency had about 34 million of the parts in 30 million cars. High humidity is still believed to be among the biggest risk factors for the ruptures. Although, if ammonium nitrate also gets the blame, some already recalled models might need to be repaired again. Related Video: