Daihatsu OFC-1 Concept: next gen Copen?
This concept vehicle is called the Daihatsu OFC-1 Concept, an open top K-car roadster that Daihatsu says was designed for adults who want to feel the wind as they drive. The convertible glass top consists of a 3-piece electromotive roof which opens and closes in less than ten seconds, while preserving trunk space even when the roof is down.
The engine used in this concept is a variation of the JB-DET 658cc turbocharged engine putting out 63 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 103Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, which is really not much power even though the car only weighs 820kg. This engine is mated to a CVT gearbox with a manual shifting mode that allows you to swap between 7 virtual gear ratios. The front suspension setup uses MacPherson struts and coil springs, while the rear suspension uses an economical torsion beam design with coil springs.
The 2-seater Daihatsu OFC-1 Concept most likely points us to what the next generation Daihatsu Copen might look like. More photos after the jump.
September 19, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
not bad… back looks like a mini Eclipse…
September 19, 2007 @ 6:57 pm
The JB-DET engine is used in previous Copen, Mira Gino, Move. It origin is from JB-JL it is also a 16V 4 cylinder chain drive turbo engine… It uses 4 direct ignition coil on the plugs compare to JB-JL who uses 2 direct ignition coil share by 4 plugs (like Waja mitsu engine)… The main reason to have this engine is the smoothness of the torque curve compare to 3 cylinder.. but in paper, 3 cylinder perform better and faster due to light weight..
The design seems not so original.. maybe a bit like eclipse.. I still prefer the previous copen, more cuter… No manual? for a sport car like this?
September 19, 2007 @ 7:46 pm
this would be the cheapest roadster money can buy. they should put a 4-cylinder engine though, a 3-cylinder motor will shake the car to pieces at high RPM.
September 19, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
look at the front hood guys….remember our Myvi?
September 19, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
Bonnet lid looks like Myvi design…
September 19, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
Looks more like a production model, MR2 like front. Nice seat design though.
September 19, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
Daihatsu shud consider this car as mx5 competitor by offering about same range of power…then the league of small sports car begin …and lets hope other marque to join the league and we have wide range cheap sports car to choose
September 19, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
ewww…
September 19, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
next gen copen…seems so..with the size and all..
September 19, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
Current Copen copy the Audi TT.
This? Copy Eclipse?
No wonder how, this car is useless if sell at high price. it should be between 40-50k.
September 20, 2007 @ 12:34 am
LoL~~ I can imagine the polarity of responses if this concept is branded Proton and was a leak from Proton.
Malaysians are just so damn brand biased. This concept looks extremely fugly may i say – nonetheless, a Jap logo…. everything changed.
Copen still rules.
September 20, 2007 @ 3:21 am
I think this will be a huge seller given its from daihatsu, so it will not cost a lot
September 20, 2007 @ 7:01 am
Im sorry, please forgive me.
MYVI RULEZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
September 20, 2007 @ 7:26 am
nice….i dont mind buying 1 of these…..sporty, cheap roadster and also cheap to maintain…not to mention ez to drive and park as well.
September 20, 2007 @ 8:18 am
Appeals to ppl that would have bought the Peugeot 206CC minus the landslide depreciation.
I for one thinks the design looks odd, would have prefered the current one. At least that one looks ‘cute’.
Things that never should make into a convertible. 1) a 3 cyc engine, 2) a diesel.
September 20, 2007 @ 8:32 am
can’t really remember but i think there are a few grey importers bringing in the current copen but at ridiculously high prices. hopefully perodua brings it in and locally assembles it here. who knows, it may be successful in this region and there may be a market for a small pseudo sports car here.
it’s definitely not going to be an evo killer or something like it. in fact, i don’t think it will even get close to an mx-5. but it will do nicely for those who want a simple sporty looking car which is a little faster than the regular crop of normal 1.0 to 1.3 cars and is above all, affordable. suits those who are considering the smart for2, and stuff like it. great as a weekend car, a (fairly well to do) student’s first car, young couples, the young at heart. i think you get the idea.
September 20, 2007 @ 9:10 am
Yes the current grey importers sell it at high RM90K range, which is ridiculous!!!! It’s actually selling for less than RM30K
September 20, 2007 @ 10:16 am
Things that never should make into a convertible. 1) a 3 cyc engine, 2) a diesel
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What’s wrong wt diesel?…they have better higher torque & power at low (useable/real world) rpm plus the advantage of gud FC……nowdays diesel are among the best seller especially in euro countries
September 20, 2007 @ 10:56 am
Somehow this reminds me of suzuki cappuccino.
September 20, 2007 @ 11:02 am
Oh and another thing. If its anything like the suzuki cappuccino, then the 63 hp figure might be just a gimic to get into the k car category.
September 20, 2007 @ 11:05 am
Myvi front hood design + Viva headlamp. Am I right.
September 20, 2007 @ 11:18 am
So Cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
The current one’s cuter though… let’s see how the final one will look like
September 20, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Too girlish. Maybe if we take the top off a Myvi, it could look like this one but with a bit of muscles…
September 20, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
Diesels are great on cars. Just not in convertibles.
I mean, do you really want to drop the top of your convertible for a nice cruise or charge up a winding mountain route…only to hear that your car sounds like a tractor?
As much as diesels have come in terms of refinement….they still sound like a diesel, yes, even the new Benz CDIs. In a normal closed car, you dont really hear it, but in a convertible its painfully obvious. Perhaps given a few more years, I will have to eat my words…..
If I have my top down, I would like to hear a high RPM V8 wail from a ferrari powerplant, a finely tuned mechanical whine from a BMW straight 6, or a low ground rumbling V8. Even a screaming 4 cyc is can be mildy acceptable.
September 20, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
it is so nice thru pic, but how’s the really model??? i think may vary in pic… waiting the launching time….. but it’s only 1,300cc….i hope that it can come out with 1,600
September 20, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
ops…sorry…i mean the horsepower is 63…similar with 1,300cc engine…. eventhough it is 660cc with turbocharger…..
September 20, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
“while the rear suspension uses an economical torsion beam design with coil springs”
targetted at economy with mild fun in mind…
wish the final product will opt Independant Suspension all-round at least!
September 21, 2007 @ 2:30 am
dzat46 said,
September 20, 2007 @ 10:16 am
Things that never should make into a convertible. 1) a 3 cyc engine, 2) a diesel
—————————————————————-
What’s wrong wt diesel?…they have better higher torque & power at low (useable/real world) rpm plus the advantage of gud FC……nowdays diesel are among the best seller especially in euro countries
___________________________________________________________________________
Driving a diesel convertible is like bringing a beautiful girl into a posh restaurant, and when she’s looking thru the menu, you are counting whether you brought enough money, or whether you’d order a desert for yourself if she’d ordered a full course.
OR
Driving a Ferrari and refuel using Shell Super Unleaded.
September 21, 2007 @ 12:38 pm
don’t like the design at all,its not cute…but funny,another boring Daihatsu….
September 21, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
ciri-ciri lembut sesuai untuk orang lembut,ni nama nya kereta sport setengah masak
September 21, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
But still ppl like me just like mini-sport car… how i wish Suzuki cappuccino will be revive…
September 21, 2007 @ 8:49 pm
#
nobodyatuk said,
September 20, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Too girlish. ..
______________________________________________________________________________
My thought exactly.
With the red body paint and the chromes…. well, girlie.
October 5, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
Times Online
May 21, 2007
Clarkson censured for ‘bit gay’ car gibe
Jeremy Clarkson, friend of the motorist and avowed enemy of political correctness, was criticised this morning for labelling a car “a bit gay†on television. Clarkson was unimpressed by the Daihatsu Copen, last year. He asked a member of the studio audience on the BBC’s Top Gear programme whether he would consider buying one. The man replied, “No, it’s a bit gay†and Clarkson added, “A bit gay, yes, very ginger beer.â€
Ofcom, the media watchdog, ruled this morning that there was “no justification†for the comment. The watchdog turned to the Oxford English Dictionary and agreed that “gay†can be used to mean “foolish, stupid and socially inappropriate, or disapproved of and lameâ€. However, it ruled that in conjunction with “ginger beerâ€, Cockney rhyming slang for queer, Clarkson intended to criticise the car by describing it as homosexual.
In Top Gear Magazine the review of the Daihatsu described it as a “cutie with a folding metal roof, aimed at those with a collection of sunglasses and co-ordinating handbags”. Ofcom said: “In this edition of Top Gear, the presenter’s use of a Cockney rhyming phrase made clear he intended to give a particular meaning to use of the word ‘gay’. This, in Ofcom’s opinion, meant that the use of the word became capable of giving offence. In the context, there was no justification for using the word in this way.â€
Stonewall, the gay rights group, welcomed the decision. “We’re glad to see that Ofcom has censured Jeremy Clarkson for the use of the word gay, in what was clearly meant in a derogatory way. Clarkson should remember in future that he is a presenter on publicly-funded TV before making such comments and therefore should uphold certain standards of behaviour,” said Vicky Powell, a spokeswoman. The watchdog will take no further action as the BBC has already upheld complaints made directly to the corporation and warned the programme’s production team not to repeat the offence.
“There was no doubt that it was being used in the sense of ‘homosexual’ and was capable of giving offence,†said Fraser Steel, the BBC head of editorial complaints. Clarkson is reported to have responded: “It wasn’t a gay car – it was actually a bit lesbian.”
The BBC had stood by Clarkson in February 2006 when Stonewall released a report accusing the Top Gear presenter of making derogatory or offensive references to homosexuality. In December 2005 Clarkson was accused of offending Germans by mocking the Mini for its new owners, BMW, on Top Gear.
He suggested the car be redesigned to be quintessentially German. “Give it trafficators that go like that,” he said, flapping his arm up and down in Nazi-style to mimic old-fashioned car indicators. He suggested the car should also be fitted with an “A satellite navigation system that only goes to Poland.”