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Amicrovan is avan orminivan which is within the Japanesekei car classification or similar, and is smaller than amini MPV. In China, these vehicles are nicknamedmiàn bāo chē (bread car) due to their bread-loaf like shape.[1] Similarly, in several Hispanic American countries, these vehicles are calledpan de molde, which means "bread loaf".[citation needed] In Indonesia, it is commonly called aminibus due to their tall roof, perceived as resembling a miniaturebus; the term is also used generally to refer to any type of three-row MPVs.
Outside of China and Japan, microvans are also common inSoutheast Asia,South Asia,Africa,Latin America, and theMiddle East. Microvans share similar characteristics with other-sized MPVs; for instance, microvans commonly have rear sliding doors. Generally, they have capacity for six, seven, or eight passengers.[citation needed] As this category of vehicle has fixed third-row seats, a single vehicle cannot be used both for passenger transport and larger-cargo transport without refitting; therefore, microvans are not usually consideredmulti-purpose vehicles.[citation needed]
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.[2] They are, therefore, widely used for small businesses in these places.
The first vehicle to adopt the bodystyle of a van, with the engine installed in front of the driver, was the 1970sHonda Life "StepVan". Some microvans use a drivetrain with the engine installed transversely, using front- or all-wheel drive, while others use acabover 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 withkei truck derivatives from the same manufacturer.
Most microvans have two swinging front doors, twosliding rear doors 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 incommercial-only versions of microvans are replaced by metallic panels; this type of microvan is sometimes called a "blind van".[citation needed] Some models also featurepick-up 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.
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 "kei one-box" in Japan; their pick-up versions are known askei trucks.
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