Japanese Students Turn a Kei Car Into a Mini Toyota GR Supra

Kei Madness

If there’s one segment of the automotive world (though odd and quirky) that has captured the world’s attention – yes, even President Donald Trump – it is the Japanese Kei Car.

“Kei,” meaning “light,” cars have been built and sold since after the war as a means of offering affordable, practical mobility to a rebuilding Japan. It has then become a primary model for those who live in the cramped streets of Japan’s metropolitan areas.

Kei cars have generally been a curiosity for the rest of the world, and in some cases are imported into other countries (they aren’t sold outside Japan). Kei cars are usually cutesy in design and take the form of small vans or SUVs, but a college in Japan is taking it to extremes with an upcoming project.

GR Supra Kei Edition?

The Nihon Automotive College (NATS) is a group of college students embarking on an ambitious yet unique project. NATS is developing a concept for the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, one of the world’s largest aftermarket auto shows. Their showcase will be a Kei car dressed up as a Toyota GR Supra.

Since there’s no Kei Supra, NATS are using the Daihatsu Copen, a small Kei roadster, as the platform. As inspiration, the group is basing its design on the 2020 Toyota Supra Concept, also built by NATS. For this Kei Supra concept, the students are using as many authentic GR Supra parts as possible.

Putting it all together was no small feat; the students at NATS had to reshape and fit custom fibreglass parts (made in-house) to accommodate the larger Supra parts in the smaller Copen frame. Both the headlights and taillights are genuinely Supra, with the front and rear bumper also coming from the sports car, but are heavily modified to fit this new body. Visually, the only parts retained from the Copen are the doors, mirrors, windshield, and detachable hardtop.

Mechanical and Chassis upgrades haven’t been disclosed yet. However, NATS may have done the usual lowering of the ride height and a bigger brake package while still retaining the Daihatsu Copen turbocharged 658cc engine, which is a hallmark of the Kei car regulations.

One of Three Builds

This impressive project will be accompanied by two more cars at the NATS display at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon. Alongside the Kei Supra will be a Toyota Vellfire Sedan based on the underpinnings of a Lexus LS, and a low-rider concept of the Nissan Gloria. You can also check out the NATS YouTube page to see them explain the Kei Supra Build.