This type of railcar was introduced to compete with the increasing number of passenger automobiles in the metropolitan area.

They were designed to reduce the operating cost of trains and to offer increased ride comfort when compared to steam locomotives.

[1] The following year, the Ministry of Railways again purchased eight Kiha10 gasoline railcars (キハ10-shaped Kiha bullet cars) from Nippon Sharyo, later designated as the 18DR1010 type.

These units had twelve windows and two sliding doors on each side, and the interior seats were arranged in a non-traditional shape.

[1] To conform to the actual usage of the units, Taiwan Railways changed the designation again in 1961 to 18TPK1000 and 18TPK1010 third-class passenger cars, but by this time, the vehicles were old and were either scrapped or dismantled.