Editing Compact car (section)

=== 1950s and 1960s ===
In 1955, the Japanese [[Ministry of International Trade and Industry]] set forth a goal to all Japanese makers at that time to create what was called a "national car". The concept stipulated that the vehicle be able to maintain a maximum speed over 100&nbsp;km/h (62&nbsp;mph), weigh below 400&nbsp;kg (882&nbsp;lbs), fuel consumption at {{convert|30|km/L|abbr=on}} or more, at an average speed of 60&nbsp;km/h (37&nbsp;mph) on a level road, and not require maintenance or significant service for at least {{convert|100,000|km|mi|abbr=on}}. This established a "compact car" target that was larger than what has become known as the "light car" or the [[kei car]]. 

One of the first compact cars that met those requirements was the [[Toyota Publica]] with an air-cooled two-cylinder opposed engine, the [[Nissan Bluebird#110 series|Datsun 110 series]], and the [[Mitsubishi 500]]. The Publica and the Mitsubishi 500 were essentially "kei cars" with engines larger than regulations permitted at the time, while the Datsun was an all-new vehicle. These vehicles were followed by the [[Hino Contessa]] in 1961, the [[Isuzu Bellett]], [[Daihatsu Compagno]] and [[Mazda Familia]] in 1963, the [[Mitsubishi Colt]] in 1965, and the [[Nissan Sunny]], [[Subaru 1000]], and [[Toyota Corolla]] in 1966. Honda introduced its first four-door sedan in 1969, called the [[Honda 1300]]. In North America, these cars were classified as [[subcompact car]]s.