Some news concerning the Daihatsu Ayla and Toyota Agya eco-car twins – apparently, the compact hatchbacks, both of which premiered at the Indonesian International Motor Show last September, have yet to go on sale in the country.

The 1.0 litre Ayla was originally slated to begin selling last December following the completion of a new plant, but the automaker is reportedly still waiting for the Indonesian government to announce an output incentive programme before it begins production and sales of the hatchback. Support measures for the production of green cars was supposed to have been spelt out by the government in November.

If production had begun in December, volume output up to April would have amounted to a significant 17,000 units, more than Mazda’s total yearly sales volume, the Nikkei reports. The report gave no indication as to when the incentive programme would come about. Daihatsu, in the meantime, is recommending other models to customers who have reserved an Ayla.

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Daihatsu has introduced its facelifted fifth-generation Move in Japan, and though there aren’t any major changes to the car – which was introduced two years ago – a simple crash-avoidance system is now being offered, a first for the kei car segment.

Reports indicate that the system employs a laser to detect obstacles in front of the car, and applies the brake automatically to avoid a collision.

The facelift features four grade variants, these being the L, L”SA” as well as the X and X”SA,” in both 2WD and 4WD forms. The 3.39 metre-long vehicle continues on with the KF-VE 660 cc normally-aspirated mill offering 52 PS at 6,800 rpm and 60 Nm at 5,200 rpm, which is paired to a CVT gearbox.

The reports add that the new car is good for 29 km per litre in terms of fuel efficiency, up two kilometres from the pre-facelift. The Move will be more familiar to us as the Perodua Kenari, but this one is very far removed from the second-gen one we know.

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A couple of quick news items to round off IIMS 2012. The first is about another Daihatsu vehicle, and this one is called the Luxio Quartett. The concept is based on the established Luxio MPV, which began selling in Indonesia three years ago, but where the production version seats seven, the Quartett offers space for exactly what its name implies.

Essentially, the second and third row seats in the 4.16 metre-long vehicle have been replaced with a couple of lounge chair-style leather seats, replete with a large centre console. There’s plenty of legroom for the two rear occupants, naturally. Exterior additions to the one-off Luxio include a bodykit, daytime running lights and upsized alloy wheels.

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Yes, back to a more familiar sight – also spotted at the Daihatsu stand at IIMS was a bright yellow Sirion Sport concept, all decked out to captivate the young (and young at heart). The Sirion, as everyone already knows, is the Perodua Myvi for the Indonesian market, and the car was launched to much fanfare at last year’s edition of the show.

This year, things are undoubtedly quieter for the car, but PT Astra Daihatsu has decided to inject some life into the hatch and come up with a treatment that should get the bells ringing for modders. A prominent front bumper lip kicks things off, and side panel stickers unabashedly tell you what version it is. New alloys, replete with yellow edge lining, help things along.

Inside, the yellow theme continues, with splashes of the shade to be found on the door cards, seats, and even the steering wheel – which is a three-spoke sports type unit – gets a yellow accent line. The dash centre console features a bright silver finish, and sports pedals are to be seen, as are a couple of large tweeter units on the dashboard.

Surely befitting of an Extreme tag, PT Astra says that the Sirion Sport can be viewed as a spirited young best friend for youths, being active, dynamic, flexible and tough. I suppose it can.

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Some other Daihatsu news from IIMS. Not new, and certainly not a debut, but worth a mention all the same. The automaker certainly pulled out all the stops for the 2012 Indonesian International Motor Show, not just showcasing its new Ayla 1.0 litre eco-car and the UFC Concept, but also brought out a couple of other concepts first seen in Tokyo last year.

The D-X – or D-Cross – and D-R Concepts were part of the display inventory, and though not centre stage items, received their fair share of attention. Both roadster studies are powered by a 660 cc two-cylinder turbocharged engine, and offer different takes on the open-top approach.

The rugged D-X may be the flashier and eye-catching of the two, but there’s a quiet elegance about the D-R, which features two interchangeable body “styles,” either stylish or more dynamic, through the use of removable resin-based exterior panels. There are no plans to get either into production, but isn’t it time for a new Copen, which is now history?

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This funky-looking people mover is called the Daihatsu Ultra Functional Compact (UFC) Concept, and it’s another debutant at the ongoing IIMS in Jakarta.

It’s a six-seater study that Astra Daihatsu Motor says it has taken the lead in developing, using Daihatsu’s expertise in compact cars. But while designed along the lines of a compact, the B-pillarless vehicle features a large interior and a versatile seating arrangement.

In this case, both the second row and third row seats are fully electrically-powered and adjustable, in the sense that the second row units can slide forward to the point that they can be “stacked” directly behind the front row seats, and the slightly-raised third row seatbacks can fold down, offering a high degree of functionality and cavernous cargo space, if so desired.

Elswhere, rear sliding doors offer ease of ingress and egress. Aside from all this, there’s no mention of any specific details, like what powertrain the UFC has, nor are any figures touted. Reports hint that the exterior lines of the study might be how the next-generation Xenia people mover – currently in the market – or the Avanza will shape up, and that a production version should be a seven-seater. Maybe we’ll see it come to fruition next IIMS.

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The start of the Indonesia international Motor Show saw the arrival of the Daihatsu Ayla hatchback, as well as that of its Toyota sibling, the Agya. The two debutants are set to go head to head against the Mitsubishi Mirage, which also made its Indonesian debut at the show.

We’ll start with the Ayla – the five-door hatch, the company says, has been designed to meet the needs of car users in the country, working on the basis of being fuel efficient, spacious and affordable. If the shape looks a bit familiar, that’s because you’ve seen a mix of its lines on the Daihatsu A-Concept seen in last year’s IIMS as well as the e:S Mira. The Ayla is based on the e:S Mira.

There weren’t any specifications mentioned in the overall show brochure beyond stating that the little car – which measures in at 3,580 mm long, 1,600 mm wide and 1,510 mm tall – punches above its weight, offering a comfortable and spacious cabin, a minimum turning radius for easy maneouvreability in narrow streets and a high ground clearance “best suited to the way in Indonesia.”

Nothing a bit of digging around couldn’t solve. The Ayla is powered by a 997cc three-cylinder mill, the D26F-1KR-DE. The 69 kg aluminium-block unit, which is 10 kg lighter than the 1.0 litre cast-iron block equivalent, offers 65 hp at 6,000 rpm and a rather low-ish 87 Nm of twist at 3,600 rpm. As for drivetrain choices, it’s a five-speed manual and a four-speed auto for this little five-seater.

Three variants of the Ayla will go on sale in the Indonesian market, the entry-level Type D, medium specification Type M and range-topping Type X.

When they mean entry-level, they do mean entry-level – the Type D comes without air-conditioning and an audio system, to give you an idea of how affordable means omitting some of the mod-cons. It does mean however that the Ayla can be had for as low as Rp 75 million (RM24,100). Local content is claimed to be 84% for the car (and likewise, the Agya). As for colours, there are six choices on call for the car, three metallic and three solid.

The arrival of the little car does throw some conjecture about, especially with regards to Malaysia’s position as the perceived passenger car center for ASEAN.

For the longest time, Toyota/Daihatsu Indonesia (or Astra Toyota/Daihatsu, if you will) didn’t really sell passenger-style cars, working the beat with more “commercial-based” offerings like the Avanza and Innova. Daihatsu didn’t bother building the Sirion in Indonesia, instead importing Myvis from here and slapping on Daihatsu badging on them.

But the change is coming, and how – we first saw signs of this with the A-Concept, and now production of Toyota/Daihatsu passenger cars is concentrated in Thailand and Indonesia. The Japanese automaker has signalled its intent for Indonesia, stating that it aims to launch more than four models in the next four years as well as produce 300,000 units a year here.

Which leads to the question – has Perodua failed to grab an opportunity to be the small passenger green car hub for Toyota/Daihatsu in the region? The Ayla and Agya show that this might very well be the case, and we might also well be looking at the new Viva-replacement.

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Daihatsu is set to end production of its Copen in August, bringing a 10-year run to a close. The Copen, which made its debut in 2002 and won a Good Design Award that same year, is currently the only convertible minicar in the Japanese market; the likes of Honda and Suzuki ended production of their own mini convertibles years ago.

In its current guise, specs for the 660 cc roadster include output figures of 64 PS at 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm at 3,200 rpm, with five-speed manual and four-speed auto transmission options available.

According to reports, the company said it was pulling the plug on the open-top offering because of poor sales in recent times. Sales in Japan hit a peak in 2003, with 11,000 cars sold, but the car never really caught on. By 2011, only 2,000 vehicles were shifted, and total production volume has only been around 56,000 units.

The company is saying goodbye to the Copen with a 10th-anniversary special edition version later this year, of which it aims to sell 500 units of – the variant is set to feature commemorative scuff plates and leather seats, among other kit.

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Among the unique features of the D-X (for d-cross) is a resin-based body that allows owners to enjoy a multitude of variations, according to Daihatsu. It’s seen here with some “4X4 style” body cladding normally seen or superminis and MPVs, but rarely sports cars. We presume that the black stuff can be taken off by owners for a more conventional look, as and when they please. Not seen here, but Daihatsu says the interior is “spartan feeling”.

Under the hood is a two-cylinder engine with direct-injection and turbo, said to strike a balance between the joy of driving and fuel-efficiency. No more details, but read more on Daihatsu’s planned two-pot engine in our previous post here.

The company adds that the D-X offers a driving experience with that “sense of oneness between person and vehicle that only a compact car can provide” a line that’s not too unlike Mazda’s Jinba Ittai message for the MX-5.

A future affordable sports car for the rakyat via Perodua?

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Daihatsu has thrown its latest Kei car contender into the fray, with the introduction of the Mira e:S in Japan. The minicar, which reinterpretates the three-door e:S Concept of two years ago into a five-door form, is available in both two- and four-wheel drive guise domestically, with four level variants (G, X, L and D) for the former and two (Gf and Xf) for the latter.

All versions wear the same KF transverse three-cylinder twin-cam 658 cc mill, offering 52 PS at 6,800 rpm and 60 Nm at 5,200 rpm, mated to a CVT transmission. The company is touting the car’s fuel economy as its biggest selling point – claimed figures for the 2WD version on the new JC08 mode test cycle is a healthy 30km per litre (and on the older 10-15 mode, 32 km per litre), close to hybrid territory.

Features on the 730 kg vehicle (790 kg for the 4WD versions), which is 60 kg lighter than the old Mira, include a pre-stop idle reduction system, and all the models wear 14-inch wheels and 155/65 profile rubbers; there are optional Sporty and Premium interior/exterior dress-up packs available for the car, as well as what is tagged an “earth colour interior.”

Domestically, Daihatsu is ambitiously aiming at moving 10,000 units of the Mira e:S per month in the first year, according to reports, and says that it will apply the technology used for the e:S to other models and vehicles produced overseas, including that in Indonesia, which was where the Daihatsu A-Concept was introduced in July, at the IIMS.

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Remember the lime green Daihatsu A-Concept that was showcased at the Indonesia International Motor Show earlier this year?

It was a concept car developed with the involvement of Indonesians with the technical support of Daihatsu Japan. They were pretty vague about what segment the A-Concept was competing in though – it looked a little bigger than a typical A-segment car, but it had a lower roofline than a typical JDM B-segment tall hatchback like the Myvi – shaped more like a Fiesta or Mazda 2.

Imagine if the Daihatsu A-Concept was toned down for production and given a Perodua badge for sale in Malaysia – that’s what Theophilus Chin sought to achieve with his latest image manipulation project.

The A-Concept was given production side mirrors, a rear wiper, door handles, mud guards, a more production-looking rear light cluster, a hatch-mounted number plate holder (as with all Perodua cars), body colored roof and A pillars, and a revised front to carry a look similar to the new Myvi’s face. It’s colour was also given the popular bluish grey Perodua paint.

What do you think – do you like it?

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PT Astra Daihatsu Motor has launched its latest model at the Indonesian International Motor Show (IIMS) 2011 with with plenty of song and dance (not Bollywood, but Party Rock Anthem!). Readers of this website would have already known that the Sirion is a rebadged 2011 Perodua Myvi, and that the car is built in Malaysia and exported to Indonesia – we caught a trailer of Daihatsu badged Myvis heading to a port in June.

Now that we’ve seen and touched it in the metal, we can confirm that the Sirion is identical to the Myvi save for Daihatsu badges on the front, rear and steering wheel, which is a basic looking three-spoke unit (I prefer Perodua’s wheel). There’s also a “VVT-i” badge at the rear, which is DVVT for us, although the new Myvi doesn’t have badges for that.

Of the three variants we have in Malaysia (Standard, Premium, Elegance), PT Astra chose the mid-spec Premium, which has standard features such as Optitron MID, Bluetooth, USB and MP3 functions, power retractable wing mirrors and 14in alloys, among other kit.

According to Perodua MD Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh, who looked relax blending in with the crowd instead of being on stage, PT Astra is looking at importing the top spec Elegance model at a later stage. For now, it’s the Premium with a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual. It was revealed that PT Astra is targeting sales of 500 units per month – not much, but still much more than the 100 units or so per month rate of the previous Sirion, which was also from Perodua. The majority seller will be the manual variant.

Priced at 139,500,000 to 150,500,000 rupiah (RM48,715 to RM52,556), the Sirion is costlier than basic versions of the Xenia, which is Daihatsu’s version of the 7-seat Toyota Avanza. This ties in with the relatively small 500 units per month and the more “premium positioning” of the Sirion in Indonesia.

The Sirion is also being launched in various locations throughout Indonesia today. Live gallery from IIMS after the jump.

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The first stage is its eco-idle technology, which includes an i-EGR system to reduce emissions and enhance combustion, and a eco-IDLE system which turns the engine on and of automatically to help save fuel during heavy traffic conditions.

According to Daihatsu, the first stage has already been implemented in existing cars like the latest generation Daihatsu Move, and the car that it is expected to launch in September 2011 will also have it. The third stage involves replacing the combustion engine with a fuel cell, which is quite suitable for the kind of city cars Daihatsu makes.

Daihatsu does not reveal much about the two cylinder turbocharged direct injection engine except that it will have a low displacement and will be 30% more fuel efficient than existing Daihatsu engines.

But clues to the specs of this engine can be found in something Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid last year at the KLIMS 2010. He revealed the target specs for the engine to be 660cc in displacement – 330cc per cylinder, producing 63 horsepower at 4,500rpm and 100Nm of torque from 1,500rpm up to 4,000rpm.

These small 660cc turbocharged engines are really not unusual at all to Daihatsu or pretty much anyone else who participates in the JDM K-Car market. Daihatsu currently has a 658cc engine making 64 PS at 6,400rpm and 92Nm at 4,000rpm. Even Honda who has not toyed with turbocharged engines much in its world cars has a 660cc i-DSI turbo with 64hp and 93Nm in Japan.

But there’s quite a difference between the existing 660cc turbo engines in Japan and this upcoming Daihatsu engine. For one, the JDM engines are all 3 cylinder engines, while this new engine is a 2 cylinder. And if Datuk Aminar Rashid’s quoted specs come true, the planned 2 cylinder will also makes its peak power and torque at much earlier RPMs – 4,500rpm and 1,500rpm compared to the existing breed which only produce its peak power and torque at 6,400rpm and 4,000rpm respectively.

Look after the jump for photos we snapped of the cut-through two cylinder model.

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It’s the first public day of the 2011 Indonesia International Motor Show, and the first thing we did when we got here was take a high resolution video of the Daihatsu A-Concept on display at the Daihatsu exhibition. Enjoy a closer look at the A-Concept in motion.

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Daihatsu has unveiled its latest concept car at the 2011 Indonesian International Motor Show – the Daihatsu A-Concept, which includes the involvement of Indonesians with the support of Daihatsu Japan.

After learning the name of the concept car from the scale model we photographed and featured earlier today, we had initially thought that the letter A in the name meant an A-segment vehicle. While this could still be (or not be) the fact, the official explanation for the letter A is that it represents the first letter in the alphabet and thus signifies the start of a new life for Indonesian society.

According to PT Astra Daihatsu Motor president Sudirman MR, there are currently a group of personnel from his company transferred to Japan for the purpose of knowledge transfer, covering various fields from car design down to production.

And there’s also the fact that Sudirman MR has been recently appointed to the board of directors of Daihatsu Motor Company, firmly cementing Indonesia’s importance in Daihatsu’s plans for the future. Indonesia is being used as the launch (and possibly production) hub for this car, much like India was the center for the concept and production of the Suzuki A-Star/Alto.

This car may very well be a preview for the upcoming affordable and economical car capable of 30km/l that Daihatsu plans to launch. Or it may be not, but from the way the car was presented, this is something that Daihatsu really wants to put into production.

We are guessing that Daihatsu Japan will be introducing the next generation Mira this September, since it has already been five years since the current generation was launched (end 2006). Daihatsu is likely to style the new JDM Mira according to quirky Japanese tastes, but perhaps the design of this A-Concept will be used to create an ASEAN/world version of the car, just like how there is a separate JDM Passo/Boon design for Japan and a Myvi/Sirion design for Malaysia and Indonesia.

Look after the jump for a full photo gallery of the A-Concept.

GALLERY: Daihatsu A-Concept
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GALLERY: Daihatsu A-Concept Live at 2011 IIMS
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GALLERY: Daihatsu A-Concept Clay Model
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The post IIMS: Daihatsu A-Concept – by Indonesia, for the world appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Daihatsu has revealed that it will be launching an affordable and fuel efficient car as near as September 2011, which is just a few months away. The new car will be Daihatsu’s most fuel efficient car as well as its most affordable car, helping save you money in terms of both purchase cost and running cost. The entry price to purchase will be as low as 800,000 yen (RM30,400) and the car is claimed to have a fuel economy of 30 km per litre – which is one of the highest fuel economy claims for a non-hybrid vehicle so far.

Daihatsu’s 30 km/l mileage claim (on the JC08 mode) is achieved through a set of technologies and processes that Daihatsu collectively calls “e:S Technology”, or Energy Saving Technology. We first heard the term e:S when Daihatsu displayed a very small concept car called the e:S Concept (shown above) at a past Tokyo motorshow.

e:S mainly tackles three areas to produce an increased fuel economy – the powertrain, the vehicle construction, and energy management. Basically, you optimize the source of the power, what the source needs to move, as well as how efficiently the vehicle uses the power produced.

In terms of powertrain improvements, Daihatsu has upped the engine’s compression ratio to 11.3:1 from 10.8:1. They’ve also used new improved injectors that can spray smaller particles for better combustion. There’s also a new “i-EGR” system which uses EGR to reduce pumping losses. There are a host of 11 other improvements which improve general efficiency such as a reduction in chain tension by cutting the chain width, a tension reduction in the piston rings and modification of the oil seal. And finally, there’s an electronic throttle body made of a lightweight resin.

The engine is mated with a CVT transmission that has also received design modifications to improve efficiency. There are a total of 8 improvements which include the use of a high efficiency oil pump and lowering the CVT control pressure. The gear ratio has also been optimised to lower engine load. The CVT works hand in hand with the input from the electronic throttle to optimize the gear ratio for the best fuel economy.

In terms of vehicle construction improvement, Daihatsu says they have identified ways to achieve a weight reduction of 60 kg – in comparison to a Daihatsu Mira 2WD with CVT transmission. This comparison leads me to believe this vehicle may in fact be the preview for a future Daihatsu Mira (eventually Perodua Viva hopefully?).

Daihatsu A Concept – previews 30km/l car styling?

Lightening of the chassis alone contributes to 30 kg, or half of the total weight shaved, thanks to revision to the layout of frame components, the redesign of many components to be a straight in form as possible to reduce the need for reinforcements, and a more effective layout of high tensile steel plates.

The other 30 kg in weight savings have been achieved via redesigning the way the interior parts are made, such as reducing the thickness of the instrument panel and door trims. The CVT transmission’s idle reduction unit has also gone on a diet – using thinner walls for the CVT case, an aluminum oil pump cover and an aluminum planetary carrier, and the introduction of an integrated molding for the secondary sensing gear and the piston.

As with any vehicle with eco ambitions, e:S Technology also employs tyres with low rolling resistance. The entire body is also designed to be more aerodynamic via CAE simulation and wind tunnel testing. The layout of the openings in the bumper and air cleaner ducts have been optimised and the air flow pattern has been improved for better thermal management.

The car’s alternator intelligently boosts power generation during vehicle slowdown – the battery has also been modified to more efficiently handle the increased input during drive situations where the alternator decides it’s a good time to use engine braking time to recharge the battery. The alternator works the other way as well – it cuts power generation by decoupling its clutch during normal operation and acceleration, helping free the engine from the alternator’s parasitic drag.

Daihatsu says this new car will be the world’s first vehicle equipped with a CVT transmission that has “pre-stop idle reduction”. What it basically does it to take the automatic start-stop feature that has been making its way into many cars a step further – now the engine is shut off even while coasting to a stop. The engine will shut off when vehicle speed reduces to 7 km/h or less. Naturally for any automatic transmission to work with the engine off, modifications has to be made – so the CVT now uses an oil pump that is not driven by the motor.

The new Daihatsu A Concept set be unveiling this evening might just showcase how this new compact car due for a September 2011 launch will look like. We certainly hope these technologies will eventually trickle down for usage in Perodua cars.

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As we mentioned yesterday, Daihatsu’s latest concept compact car is due for unveiling at the 2011 Indonesian International Motor Show today, but the press conference is only scheduled for 5pm today so the car is still covered up.

However, we found this little scale model tucked away in some corner of exhibition – model called the “A Concept” that we’ve yet to see before. This should be the car that Daihatsu will be unveiling later today.

Look after the jump for the rest of the pix of the scale model.

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Greetings from Jakarta, where we will bring you live coverage from the 2011 Indonesian International Motor Show (IIMS). The press day is tomorrow, one day before the gates are open to the public, but in the process of collecting our press cards this afternoon, we stumbled on what should be the star of the show – a world debut concept car by Daihatsu.

This small car brand is big in Indonesia, and it will have three main exhibits at IIMS. One is the launch of the new Sirion, which readers of this blog will know is a new Perodua Myvi with Daihatsu badges. The Toyota controlled brand will also preview its upcoming tech that focuses on fuel efficiency, appropriate for a maker of affordable small cars. The other big news is this concept car, which we snapped under wraps.

Click to enlarge

You know all about the new Myvi already, so let’s jump to the other stuff. Last week, Daihatsu announced its “e:S Technology” (Energy Saving Technology) initiatives, which comprise improvements to the powertrain, chassis and energy management systems. For engines, maximising combustion efficiency is the goal, and things like upping compression ratio (from 10.8 to 11.3) and creating a finer spray for the fuel particles are talked about.

An i-EGR system and reducing mechanical losses are also in the plan. For transmissions, Daihatsu has an improved CVT gearbox. Coupled with measures such as “pre-stop idle reduction” (shuts off engine below 7 km/h) and regenerative braking, e:S Technology is aiming for 40% better fuel efficiency in a new model due to be released in September this year. The target is 30 km/l in the JC08 mode and a starting price of below 800,000 yen (RM30,400).

Click to enlarge

We’re not sure if the model with all this e:S goodness will be the production version of tomorrow’s world debut concept. What we know about the concept car is what we see so far, which is a nose that has hints of Volkswagen’s iROC concept (Paris 2008, previewed the Scirocco). It’s a five-door hatch, with wheels pushed to the extreme corners of the car for almost zero overhang. It appears larger than a Perodua Viva and Suzuki Alto, with a long wheelbase and a relatively low roofline.

The profile has a rising shoulder line that works hand-in-hand with a glass area that narrows on the way back. To view it fully naked, watch this space!

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Just two hours more until we’ll be able to reveal to you the full details of the new 2011 Perodua Myvi. We got a preview of the car late last month and the embargo will be lifted at 9PM tonight, where we’ll legally get the clearance to publish all we know of the car so far.

We’re in the midst of putting on the final touches of our full story, that includes the full technical details on the car, hi-res pictures inside and out, and some brief driving impressions of the new compact hatchback.

As you all know, the first generation Perodua Myvi that was launched in 2005 had Japanese siblings named the Toyota Passo and the Daihatsu Boon. It later even got a Subaru badge and was launched as the Subaru Justy.

That Japanese-badged car eventually got replaced with the car you see here in this post, with its design shifted from something rather unisex to a very feminine design. The new 2011 Perodua Myvi remains unisex in its outlook.

Look after the jump to check out the 2010 Toyota Passo and Daihatsu Boon, something to refresh your memory while you wait for the unveiling at 9PM.

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The Nikkei again reports that the R&D facility will be set up after the factory is ready for operation at the end of next year. Daihatsu says it will gradually transfer over from Japan certain design functions for new vehicles as well as redesigned models produced locally. Some of the subsidiary’s 70 developers have begun training in Japan ahead of this.

Local subsidiary PT Astra Daihatsu Motor has just begun work on the plant, located on the outskirts of Jakarta on an 800,000 sq. m site. The plant will have an output capacity of 100,000 units a year, and is slated to build small cars for the local market as well as for export. It will also contain a test course.

No surprise that Daihatsu is focusing very much on Indonesia – the country is now the automaker’s largest overseas manufacturing base, and its annual production capacity has bumped up to 330,000 units this month in the country, up from 280,000.

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Away from its domestic market, Indonesia is Daihatsu’s largest overseas production and sales base, and the country also serves as its export hub to emerging markets. In 2010, the company’s Indonesian arm posted an operating profit of 33.8 billion yen, effectively triple the 11.3 billion yen it earned in 2009. This figure is good enough to account for 30% of its overall total operating profit, something not to be sneezed at.

In all, it sold 123,400 vehicles in the country last year, up 48% from 2009, adding up to an overall market share of 15.5%. Daihatsu’s parent, Toyota, has around 40% of Indonesia’s vehicle market share, and combined the brands have well over half of the share of the Indonesian market.

Now, Daihatsu is set – with the help of Toyota – to increase production in the country. It is set to spend around 20 billion yen to build a new factory, beginning in August, in the suburbs of Jakarta – when the plant is ready in 2013, it will offer an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles, adding to the company’s existing annual capacity of 280,000 cars there.

The new factory is expected to assemble a low-price compact of around a 1.0 litre engine displacement for the Indonesian market. The company says the vehicle will be the cheapest compact ever made by the Toyota group and will also be supplied to Toyota for sale under a different model name. Besides domestic sales, it plans to export the model to other Southeast Asean markets and elsewhere in a bid to expand its presence in Asia.

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Toyota and Daihatsu are working on a low cost car to build in Indonesia for the Indonesian market as well as the ASEAN region. According to reports, the car will be smaller than the low cost Vios-like Toyota Etios that Toyota launched in India recently, which leads me to believe it’s likely to be a hatchback. The car will be priced the equivalent of 800,000 to 900,000 yen in Indonesia, which translates to about RM29,800 to RM33,600.

To support this new vehicle, Daihatsu will invest as much as 20 billion yen (RM746 million) in Indonesia (not including land acquisition) to build a new factory with a 100,000 car annual output, of which about 70,000 will be used by Toyota.

The factory will boost Daihatsu’s current manufacturing capacity from 330,000 units a year to 430,000 units a year. It will have an initial capacity of 50,000 units a year. It will be located in the Kawasan Industry Suryacipta in Karawang Timur, Jawa Barat. Expected to be ready in end 2012, the new factory will handle stamping, welding, painting and assembly.

Things are definitely changing for Indonesia. Daihatsu and Toyota used to build only cars like the Avanza and the Innova for the Indonesia market. There is a Daihatsu Sirion currently sold in Indonesia but it actually uses our Perodua Myvi’s styling and is built in Malaysia by Perodua and imported into Indonesia. Deals like this might just end with Daihatsu having additional capacity for monocoque low cost cars.

Everyone over here is curious as to what this new low cost car might be, especially what kind of car and bodystyle. Word is that it will be based on a new minicar Daihatsu will launch in Japan in summertime this year with a targeted claimed fuel economy of 30km per litre. The Daihatsu e:S Concept (shown above) comes to mind, but it could also just be a Indonesian-ised Perodua Viva.

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Here’s some shots of the Daihatsu version of the new 2nd generation Toyota Passo. If you want to know more about what’s changed with the 2nd generation car, you can head on to the story about the Toyota Passo version. The platform is most likely similiar to the 1st generation but there are new Dual VVT-i engines. Look after the jump for the gallery of the Daihatsu-badged car. Perodua’s version will come soon I suppose!

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Looking at photos are one thing but seeing a concept car in real life is another. The Daihatsu e:S manages to look compact but somehow not excessively cheap at the same time, so you feel like if you bought one, it’s purely because you do not need anything bigger – just two seats and a small boot behind your front seats. The e:S has some really small rear seats though making it somewhat like a 2+2, but you’re better off using that space as a boot instead.

To give you an idea, the e:S Concept’s 2,175mm wheelbase is actually even shorter than the now-”extinct” Kancil’s 2,280mm wheelbase. It’s based on an existing platform but had its wheelbase shortened so it should mean the development cost for a production car would not be excessively high.

Weight loss techniques such as slim and lightweight seats and light materials give the e:S a total weight of 700 kg. As a result, its 660cc engine with auto-start stop can take it as far as 30km on a litre of fuel under the Japan 10-15 drive mode.

Look after the jump for a live photo gallery of the e:S.

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This new car will be designed for developing country export markets. Right now, Toyota’s Daihatsu-sourced compact cars have been mostly export versions of its Japanese market cars with more Westernised names. For example, the Japanese market Daihatsu Coo is called the Materia in some other markets.

Toyota’s new president Akio Toyoda’s vision is for Toyota to start tailor-making products for individual regions rather than just offering the same vehicle line-up across the world market. This goes the other direction compared to the World Car projects that other automakers are embarking on. GM’s American Cobalt and Korean Optra are basically in the same segment and have been replaced by a single model – the Cruze.

But if Toyota can tailor-make different products for cheap, they may do better in terms of sales. I have a feeling making small cars for developing countries and selling them at the same price as their existing Japan market small cars have more to do with boosting profit margins rather than anything else, as customers in those regions do not really expect the kind of refinement that JDM customers do.

Source

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Want a cheap “landaulet”? Get a Daihatsu Basket Concept when it goes into production. Right now it’s just a concept little lifestyle “K-truck” with a removable soft top over the rear seats. There’s even a little boot deck behind the rear seats for tools and stuff in case the Basket is used to carry stuff, like another tool commonly used by people with the same name, the common basket.

And then we also have this fridge on wheels that’s called the Daihatsu DecaDeca. There is no B-pillar and both the front and rear doors swing outwards towards the front and rear of the van respectively. And like most K-vehicles in Japan, it is powered by a 660cc engine. And it’s nice that both the DecaDeca and the Basket do have a certain family resemblance about them.

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This is the new Daihatsu e:S. It weighs just 700kg and is powered by a 660cc engine, typical of K-cars in Japan. The car looks like it’s in the same class as the Ford Ka and it uses a current Daihatsu production platform but with its wheelbase shortened to 2,175mm. That’s even shorter than the Viva’s 2,390mm. The light weight and the fuel efficient engine with features such as Idling Stop System results in an estimated fuel efficiency of 30km per litre under the Japan 10-15 test! In case you were wondering what the name meant – e:S stands for ‘eco and smart’.

Four larger photos available after the jump.

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Daihatsu has launched yet another body variation of the Mira in Japan, this time called the Mira Cocoa, joining the Mira and the Mira Custom in the K-car range.

In Daihatsu’s own words, the use of the name Cocoa was chosen because the car intends to give the driver and passengers that comfortable and relaxed feeling of drinking a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day.

The Mira Cocoa measures 1,530mm in height, 1,930mm long and 1,345mm wide. Only one engine option is available in Japan – the 660cc KF-VE with DVVT variable valve timing, producing 58 PS at 7,200rpm and 65Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. There are two different transmissions available – a 4-speed auto or a CVT transmission, with the latter being more fuel efficient.

For the 2WD car, the CVT can provide up to 23.5 km per litre on the Japan 10-15 test cycle while the 4-speeder can only do 19.4km per litre. 4WD versions can do 20km and 18.6km per litre respectively for the CVT and 4-speed cars.

Daihatsu is shouting about the funky new rear view mirror that they’re using in the Mira Cocoa, claiming its the first of its kind installed in a vehicle in Japan. It integrates a back view monitor into the rear view mirror, which is also equipped with an auto anti-glare function. Now I wonder why there’s no mention of aerodynamics values…

Source

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Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd has launched the new Daihatsu Luxio in Indonesia. While the Toyota Passo Sette/Daihatsu Boon Luminas could be considered a baby Wish of sorts, the Luxio is a baby Alphard, and unlike the Passo Sette offers dual sliding rear doors. This vehicle used to go by the “Daihatu Stylo” codename while still under development, but later the Luxio name was picked and finalised.

Under the hood is the often-used 3SZ-VE 1.5 litre DOHC VVT-i cast-iron block engine producing 109 PS at 6,000rpm and 141Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, available with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. While offering similiar power outputs to the 1NZ-FE in the Vios, does not have the NZ-series engine’s aluminium block. The Luxio uses a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a 5-link rigid axle at the rear. The body is said to be built on a monocoque chassis. It is 4,165mm long, 1,665mm wide, 1,915mm tall, has 180mm ground clearance and a turning circle of 5.2 meters.

If you feel you’ve seen this before I don’t blame you. It is essentially a Daihatsu Gran Max converted to a more passenger-friendly equipment level and design, squarely targeted to those who prefer sliding doors and cannot afford a real Alphard. That way it can plug the gaps in the product offering of the Boon Luminas.

Astra Daihatsu Motor targets sales of 1,000 units a month at a price tag of between 136 to 165 million rupiah, which is approximately between RM42k to RM51k for 4 spec levels ranging from the D, M, X, and X automatic.

If you were in the market for a Perodua MPV, would you rather they base it on the Passo Sette/Boon Luminas or this new Luxio? Look after the jump for more pix of the Luxio.

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Subaru has revealed a newly improved Justy 1.0R which is basically a re-badged version of the Daihatsu Sirion which is known in Malaysia as the Perodua Myvi.

This newly “improved” version, designated as the Justy 1.0 Twin Cam Special Edition carries a limited production run of 100 units only, with 50 finished in Black Mica and another 50 in Shinning Red.

With a base price of £9,995 which is about £700 more than the standard 1.0R, the Twin Cam Special Edition is powered by the same 68HP 3 cylinder engine found in the 1.0R, and is treated to a rear roof spoiler, twin exhaust system, over roof ‘viper stripes’ and side decals, leather and alloy gear knob and rear privacy glass.

As standard, just like the 1.0R model, it features ABS with EBD, radio/CD player with AUX input, four electric windows and remote central-locking. There are also driver, passenger, front side and curtain airbags. Potential buyers can also opt for 15-inch Monza R alloy wheels wrapped with Toyo 185/55R15 tires for an extra £ 600.

Just the Myvi we have back at home, it is also one of the cheapest vehicles to run in Europe with a 64.2 miles to the gallon fuel consumption figure based on the Extra Urban Cycle and an annual £ 35 Road Fund License fee. Subaru also further revealed that “The new Justy 1.0 Twin Cam now offers even more, and offers a racy alternative for the younger, and the young-at-heart, motorist”.

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