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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-loaf vehicle") because of their 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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