Trump likes the small cars he saw in M'sia, Japan & South Korea, wants them made & driven in U.S.

U.S. president Donald Trump wants to see ultra-compact cars on the roads in the United States.

So much so he is calling for regulation preventing their production to be relooked.

Visited Asia and saw small cars

This was following his recent visits to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, which sparked his interest in such smaller capacity vehicles that he saw in those countries.

He said on Dec. 3 at a White House event that the vehicles were “really cute” and “beautiful”.

As a result, he has asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to “immediately approve” regulatory changes that would allow them to be manufactured in the United States.

Duffy said Trump had given him the directive to address regulations currently preventing the production of small cars.

Trump said: "If you go to Japan where I just left, and if you go to South Korea and Malaysia and other countries, they have a very small car — sort of like the Beetle used to be with the Volkswagen — they’re very small, they’re really cute, and I said 'How would that do in this country?'"

“Honda (and) some of the Japanese companies do a beautiful job, but we’re not allowed to make them in this country,” he added.

“I think you’re going to do very well with those cars. So, we’re going to approve those cars.”

He added that such cars are “less expensive" and give people a chance at ownership.

Regulations in U.S. that prevent production of small cars

In Japan, smaller capacity cars have engines no larger than 660cc.

They account for almost 40 per cent of new car sales.

The president's highlighting of small cars could give Japanese manufacturers a boost after they pledged to increase investment in U.S.-based production in response to tariffs imposed by the current Trump administration.

This could also address the trade imbalance with Japan.

Top photos via White House & X