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Heads turn whenever Susan Hunter drives her new car around town.

A few months ago, the Greater Vancouver resident bought a second-hand Nissan Figaro, a limited-edition Japanese import whose toy-like appearance draws curious stares.

"It doesn't matter where you go, there's a little crowd outside," Hunter says. "The first question always is: 'What is it?' "

Hunter's cappuccino-coloured car resembles a shrunken, spunkier version of a vintage Citroen Deux Chevaux, with a steering wheel on the right-hand side.

The car falls into the kei jidosha, or kei-car, "light vehicle" class. And according to Japanese regulations, kei-cars must measure no more than 3.4 metres long and 1.48 metres wide, and their engines must be less than 660 cubic centimetres, smaller than that of an average motorcycle. So just how small is it? A Chrysler Sebring, a popular North American mid-sized car, is 4.84 metres long and 1.84 metres wide.

Nissan produced only about 17,500 of the European-inspired Figaros in 1991. Now, they and other second-hand mini-cars from Japan are becoming an attractive option for Canadian commuters looking for low carbon-emitting, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Japan, which relies entirely on imported oil, began making efficient, compact cars soon after the Second World War. But because of Canadian regulations, vehicles made for overseas markets cannot be imported unless they are at least 15 years old, so Japanese mini-cars manufactured in the late eighties and early nineties are only now making their way here. (Canada does not prohibit right-hand-drive vehicles.)

Japanoid, the New Westminster car dealership where Hunter purchased her Figaro, can't import used mini-cars from Japan fast enough to keep up with demand.

Since it opened in November, Japanoid has sold more than 150 such vehicles. Those advertised on its website are often sold before they arrive ashore.

"The demand has been just crazy," says David Jubb, Japanoid's dealer principal.

Though they are best for zipping around city streets, the little cars are surprisingly powerful, and can comfortably drive up to 100 kilometres an hour on a highway, Jubb says.

Many of Japanoid's mini-cars and vans cost around $10,000 to $12,000, and their previous Japanese owners have kept them in impeccable condition.

From the country that brought the world Hello Kitty and Pokemon, Japanese mini-cars are also irresistibly cute. The Nissan two-seater S-Cargo van, for instance, has a rounded bubble top and google-eyed snail logos on its mud flaps as a wink to its name, which is short for "small cargo."

Vancouver restaurant owner Randy Lum, who owns a collection of mini-cars, says part of the fun of driving them is seeing people's reactions.

"People just smile," he says. "[I get] a lot of smiles, a lot of laughs, a lot of finger-pointing."