Microvan

A microvan is a van that fits into Japanese kei car classification or similar.

In China, these vehicles are nicknamed mian bao che ("bread loaf van") because of their shape, in a similar fashion, in several Hispanic American countries these vehicles are called Pan de Molde, which means "bread loaf".

Economics

Tax and insurance benefits in some places make these models particularly inexpensive. For example, in rural Japan kei car vehicles are exempted from a certification that there is adequate parking available for the vehicle. They are therefore widely used for small business in these places.

Design

The first vehicle to adopt the style of a van, with the engine installed in front of the driver was the 1970s Honda Life "StepVan". Some microvans utilize a drivetrain with the engine installed transversely, using front or all wheel drive, while others use a cab over approach where the engine is installed beneath the driver, while still utilizing all wheel drive or rear drive powertrains. Cab over variants usually share their chassis with kei truck derivatives from the same manufacturer.