I've read the Toronado brakes were criticised in the US too. Crumple zones were being used in the 1960s and many manufacturers were starting to do crash tests but I suppose they hadn't worked out how to most effectively improve the car's structure yet. I'd make a distinction between 'basic' (simple, no-frills - definitely out of favour with people paying for new cars!) and 'archaic' as in lacking the development/technology we have now. That's not meant to be a derogatory term, just realistic. Mind you when you get to Messerschmidt level you probably need to compare to quadricycle-class cars like the Citroen Ami. (or perhaps side-by-side or buggies! which can be driven on the road in some places) I don't think there is anything to stop Kei cars being sold here? Even in the 1990s when crash testing was done for structured public rating systems, you'd see deformation in the cabin - most easily seen as kinking of the A pillar and roof. Today similar tests barely crack the windscreen - big difference.