Archive for Daihatsu

The Toyota-Daihatsu siblings take economies of scale to a whole new level unheard of with the introduction of the Daihatsu D-01 Concept recently at the Auto China 2006 motor show. While Toyota calls it a “concept” for China, it’s actually pretty much the same ASEAN market Toyota Avanza/Daihatsu Xenia that’s been available for ages already, with a slightly different bodykit. The production version of the Daihatsu D-01 Concept will be introduced into the Chinese market in mid-2007.

One more rear view photo after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu D-01 Concept - China’s Avanza

What’s this then, a mini Chrysler PT Cruiser? Daihatsu introduced the 2007 Daihatsu Materia at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, a little boxy mini-MPV-like wagon vehicle which is also known as the Daihatsu Coo or the Toyota bB in other parts of the world. The bB Concept was introduced as a preview to the successor to the Scion xB, a popular wagon sold in the US under Toyota’s Scion arm. While it might look terribly boxy and Gundam-ish to us, the Scion xB has proven to be quite popular in the US.

While the first generation Scion xB used Toyota’s 2NZ-FE 1.3 liter and 1NZ-FE 1.5 liter, power for this successor comes from either a 1.3 liter K3-VE engine, or a 1.5 liter 3SZ-VE, the same Daihatsu-based engines being offered in our local Toyota Avanza. This shows Toyota is moving towards using Daihatsu engines for it’s low displacement models across the board, whether the model is Daihatsu or Toyota originated.

Some models of the Daihatsu Coo in Japan has four wheel drive options, but it’s not clear to me right now whether the European Daihatsu Materia will have 4WD or not. Daihatsu expects to build about 1,000 units per month.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Daihatsu Materia

Daihatsu launched the all-new Daihatsu Move yesterday, which is based on a new chassis and comes equipped with a new KF-VE 660cc engine from the Topaz range. The new KF-VE engine makes 58 horsepower at 7,200rpm, and 65Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. You can either opt for a 5-speed manual, a 4-speed automatic or a CVT gearbox and either a 2WD or 4WD drivetrain - these varies with the trim level.

The new Daihatsu Move RS is powered by the KF-DET, a turbocharged version of the new Topaz KF series engine, this boosts power up to 63 horses, which is only a meagre 5 horsepower more than the KF-VE, but it kicks in at a lower speed - 6,000rpm. Torque is up by a large margin and at a lower engine speed - 103Nm at 3,000rpm.

The new Move’s styling cues reminds me alot of the Mitsubishi Colt. Not sure if this will come to our local shores as a Kenari replacement, but Daihatsu are K-car specialists - they really know how to maximize the little space you have to play with considering K-car dimensions - so you can expect this new Daihatsu Move to offer amazing interior space in relative to it’s exterior outlook!

More photos including interior shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Daihatsu Move launched

The previous D-Compact concept series from Daihatsu was the Daihatsu D-Compact 4X4 which ended up as the production Daihatsu Be-Go/Toyota Rush. Following the current crossover craze, this is the latest in the D-Compact series - the Daihatsu D-Compact X-Over, where X-Over means crossover.

Designed together with Italy’s Italdesign led by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the rugged but sporty crossover with flared wheel arches features a glass roof that extends from the edge of the windshield to over the rear seats. The front headlamps remind me abit of Perodua’s take on the Passo/Boon/Myvi front end styling.

If it goes into production, the B-segment car is expected to replace the Daihatsu YRV and will be pitched against the likes of the Mazda 2. This concept car will join many other concepts to be unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show from the 30th September to 15th October 2006. One more photo after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu D-Compact X-Over to debut at Paris

UPDATE: Perodua has announced that a new Kembara will be launched in mid-2008. It is expected that the new Perodua Kembara replacement will be based on the Daihatsu Bego/Toyota Rush. Click here for more details.

The Daihatsu Terios, also known as the Daihatsu Be-Go in other markets has won the title of Compact/Affordable Category Winner of 4X4 Magazine’s 4X4 Of The Year 2007 Award, beating rivals like the Fiat Sedici 4X4, the Fiat Panda 4X4 and bigger, more expensive all-wheel drive models like the Volkswagen Golf 4Motion.

4X4 Magazine said the Daihatsu Terios was the only one whose character stood out compared to it’s competitors, invoking the image of a cross-country adventure.

Our locally manufactured Perodua Kembara is actually based on the previous model Daihatsu Terios. If we are lucky enough, and this is actually very likely - we might get a badge-engineered version of this new Terios here as a Kembara Replacement Model. A good pointer to Perodua’s model update trends is the upcoming Kancil/Kelisa replacement, which have been sighted to be facelifted Daihatsu Miras.

Small cars attack Europe! Daihatsu has brought in the Daihatsu Mira Gino into the European market as the Daihatsu Trevis with minor facelifts, such as a different front grille and other minor cosmetic changes. Yes, this car might seem familiar to some of you. A Mira Gino conversion is pretty popular with local Perodua Kelisa enthusiasts to give it a look reminiscent of the old school Mini.

The Daihatsu Trevis is powered by a 1.0 liter DOHC 3-cylinder engine with DVVT (EJ-VE) making 58 horsepower and 91Nm of torque at 4,000rpm and gets a good 4.8 liters per 100km. Transmission is either a 4-speed auto or a 5-speed manual, which makes the engine and gearbox options pretty much similiar to our local Perodua Kelisa except this one has DVVT. The Daihatsu Trevis Junior goes for 9,990 Euros, which is about RM47,150. The Daihatsu Trevis, which adds a MOMO leather wrapped steering and other goodies like 14 inch alloy wheels goes for 10,990 Euros, that would be about RM51,786. To upgrade from the 5-speed manual to a 4-speed auto, tag on 970 Euros (RM4,580) to the price.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of European Daihatsu Trevis (Daihatsu Mira Gino)

Daihatsu has released a new variant of the Daihatsu Boon called the Daihatsu Boon X4. It reminds me of the old Daihatsu Charade GTTI. The Daihatsu Boon X4 looks like a great basis for a rally car, if you could somehow get around it’s slightly high center of gravity. Let’s have a look at the specifications.

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The Daihatsu Be-Go is the production version of the Daihatsu D-Compact 4×4 which I’ve blogged about before. From concept to production in such a short time. The D-Compact 4X4 was shown at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, and months later it’s already shown as a production car at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show.

UPDATE: Perodua has announced that a new Kembara will be launched in mid-2008. It is expected that the new Perodua Kembara replacement will be based on the Daihatsu Bego/Toyota Rush. Click here for more details.

Click here to read the rest of 2006 Daihatsu Be-Go

The Daihatsu D-Compact 4×4 is what they call their ‘proposal’ for a new compact SUV style of look. It looks very much like the Toyota RAV4. Though that’s not a crime, they are owned by Toyota after all.

UPDATE: Perodua has announced that a new Kembara will be launched in mid-2008. It is expected that the new Perodua Kembara replacement will be based on the Daihatsu Bego/Toyota Rush. Click here for more details.

UPDATE: New Kembara replacement Perodua SUV spotted on Malaysian roads!

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu D-Compact 4X4