Archive for Daihatsu

This is one sure sign of the shift in consumer preferences towards smaller vehicles: Toyota’s global production (for all Toyota brands) was down by 12.6% to 791,665 units for the month of October and its sales in Japan dropped by 6.9% for the month compared to October last year at 177,606 units, but its Daihatsu brand improved its output by 11.5% to 82,780 units mainly thanks to increase production and demand in Indonesia. This is just going to go up even further when the new Toyota/Daihatsu/Perodua MPV (artist impression shown above) is launched early next year.

For the overall first 10 months of 2008, the Toyota Group produced 8,004,661 units, up 1.4% from the same period in 2007.

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Left: Artist’s rendering, Top-right: Mag-X thumbnails

We finally have some pretty solid but unofficial details on the upcoming compact 3-row MPV that Toyota and Daihatsu have been working on, scheduled to be launched next year. This is also the same vehicle that will be the base of the new Perodua MPV to be launched in Q3 of 2009, just in time for Hari Raya.

The word is that the Toyota version will be called the Toyota Passo Sette while the Daihatsu version will be called the Daihatsu Boon Ruminous, and will cost between 1,380,000 yen to 1,880,000 yen in Japan.

The Toyota version has a front end and headlamps that are very similiar to the current generation Toyota Vios. In classic Toyota style in knowing exactly how some Japanese love individuality and customization, the Japanese version will also get an alternate front end that is more sporty and aggressive. The Perodua version will naturally have its own front end, with a new grille, bumper and headlamps.

Toyota also has an existing compact 3-row MPV called the Toyota Sienta so it would be fair to compare this new MPV to the Sienta, and also the Passo/Boon/Myvi. And why not throw in the new Honda Freed into the mix. Let’s have a look:

From the table above we can see that the new MPV is wider as well as longer in both length and wheelbase compared to the Sienta and the Myvi. A 2750mm wheelbase is impressive - that’s as long as the Subaru Exiga, which is quite a big vehicle!

It’s also quite obvious from even photos that the new Perodua MPV will be between the Sienta and the Myvi in terms of height as the Sienta is quite tall, but this new MPV loses some of that height for a sleeker profile that is generally more acceptable outside of Japan. After all, Indonesia is expected to be a production center for the car in ASEAN.

Something also very interesting is the fact that it is equal to the Wish in terms of wheelbase but significantly shorter and also narrower. Another key difference between this new MPV and the Toyota Sienta is the fact that the Sienta has sliding doors for the rear doors while this car uses conventional swing doors.

The primary engine for the Japanese market will be the 1.5 liter 3SZ-VE producing 109 PS at 6,000rpm and 141Nm of torque, but a 1.3 liter version could be available for the ASEAN market since the Avanza 1.3 was accepted quite well here.

The Japanese market interior will feature a dashboard with a centrally-mounted speedo and also a dash-mounted shifter (CVT for FWD, 4-speed auto for 4WD). ASEAN versions could see this shift lever moved to the area between the seats instead as we’ve seen this happen before with the Myvi (Passo) and the Nautica (Terios).

From the Toyota product photos of the interior leaked by MagX, the second row looks like it can either fit 3 adults but I think 2 adults and 1 child would be more comfortable. At least it comes with 3 headrests, though this may be omitted in our market for cost cutting. The third row is a strict 2-seater.

The second and third row can be folded down for a flat loading area. The loading area is 1330mm wide at the rear-most area but when you fold down the rear seats, this width reduces to 1045mm because of the rear wheel arches protruding into the cabin. The loading area height is 858mm.

So, there you have it. There’s no telling at the moment which market will get the new Toyota compact MPV first, but it’s either between one of the ASEAN countries (Indonesia in particular), or Japan. One possible unveiling schedule could see a more “sophisticated” (dash-mounted shifter, option for DVD player, etc) Japan version unveiled first, then a low cost ASEAN version, and finally the Perodua version in Q3 2009.

Look after the jump for one more side profile shot of the new Toyota/Daihatsu/Perodua 3-row compact MPV.

Click here to read the rest of New Toyota MPV: details of the new 3-row compact that Perodua will also build!

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The new 2008 range of the Daihatsu Sirion in the UK will include a new top of the range 1.5 liter model called the Daihatsu Sirion SX, priced at £9,495 on-the-road. The 2008 Daihatsu Sirion gets new bumpers and grills, new wheel designs, revised, grippier front seats, plusher cloth trim and an improved rear torsion beam suspension for better handling across the range.

The 1.5 SX in particular has a deep front spoiler with a mesh grille (this is essentially the TRD bumper), front fog lamps, side skirts, a rear tailgate spoiler, a red trim interior, alloy wheels, climate control, power windows for all four doors, four SRS airbags, a radio/CD player and remote central locking. It also boasts Vehicle Stability Control, something not offered on any previous Sirion models.

The engine is the 3SZ-VE, something familiar to us already as it is the same engine used in the Toyota Avanza 1.5 liter, but probably slightly different in the Sirion installation as it will be installed in a FF configuration instead of the Avanza’s FR configuration. It also makes less power than the version in the Avanza 1.5, putting out 103 PS at 6,000rpm and 132Nm (138Nm for auto) of torque at 4,400rpm versus 109 PS and 141Nm. 0 to 100 acceleration time is rated at 10.1 seconds.

Will these new features, especially the Vehicle Stability Control trickle down to the Malaysian market and provide extra safety features for a new highest-line specification Perodua Myvi model?

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Daihatsu Sirion SX 1.5 liter

Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd has just announced the Daihatsu Gran Max, a new light commercial vehicle manufactured at P.T. Astra Daihatsu Motor in Indonesia, aiming to meet the increasing demand in Indonesia for light commercial vehicles.

The Daihatsu Gran Max comes in two body styles, a pick up truck and a minibus. The pick up truck rear can be configured as you wish - in the photos after the jump you will be able to see a classic pick up truck bed as well as a storage box.

The minibus body is the only one in its class with sliding rear doors on both sides. It also has class-leading load capacity.

Powering the Gran Max is either a 1.3 liter DOHC VVT-i or 1.5 liter DOHC VVT-i engine, which should be the 85hp K3-VE and the 107hp 3SZ-VE.

Perhaps this will be offered in Malaysia sometime soon too as a Daihatsu or a Perodua? Perhaps as a Rusa replacement.

More photos of different body styles and the interior after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2008 Daihatsu Gran Max minibus and pickup

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.

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu OFC-1 Concept: next gen Copen?

Here is something amusing. While some Perodua Myvi owners in Malaysia have been visiting the bodykit shops with plans to convert their Perodua Myvi to it’s JDM Daihatsu Boon/Toyota Passo look, Daihatsu has decided that the Daihatsu Sirion it sells in Indonesia will use the Perodua Myvi’s styling!

It looks pretty much exactly the same as our Myvi like it’s curvier headlamps, front and rear bumper, rear numberplate location, as well as LED tail lamps. Even the interior uses the Myvi’s interior, with the shifter positioned conventionally in the middle of the two front seats instead of mounted on the steering column like the Boon and Passo.

Visit PT Astra Daihatsu Motor’s Daihatsu Sirion microsite.

This is the Daihatsu Mira Custom, a kitted up version of the latest generation Daihatsu Mira that was recently launched in Japan. It’s got some pretty high spec stuff for a K-car, including automatic tilting side mirrors for convenience during reverse maneuveres as well as a very BMW-like engine start/stop button.

Both the Mira and Mira Custom use the latest generation Topaz NEO 660cc engines - the KF-VE and the KF-DET. The KF-VE features 58 horsepower at 7,200rpm, and 65Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, a big improvement over our local Perodua Viva’s EF-VE 660cc DVVT engine that makes 47 horsepower and 58Nm of torque. Daihatsu says the KF-VE can manage 25.5km per liter with the 2WD drivetrain and CVT transmission.

The more exciting KF-DET engine makes not a huge amount of horsepower more than the KF-VE, but it’s 64 horsepower is gained at a much lower 6,000rpm. It shines in it’s torque figures though - 103Nm at a low 3,000rpm. Both the turbo and non-turbo variants of the Daihatsu Mira custom comes with either a 2WD or 4WD drivetrain and all use CVT gearboxes.

From the photos of these cars, perhaps some enterprising local bodykit designer can produce the first batch of cool kits based on Daihatsu’s work with the Mira Custom to spice up our local Perodua Viva cars.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu Mira Custom

In the spirit of entertainment, Best Motoring pits a bunch of Japanese compact cars against each other on the race track. You have the Honda Jazz 1.5 VTEC, the Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6, Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart Version-R 1.5 MIVEC Turbo, and the Daihatsu Boon X4. The first two are naturally aspirated, while the last two are turbocharged, and the Boon X4 has the advantage of all-wheel drive while the rest are front wheel driven. Oh, and all the cars are stick shifts. Video after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of Best Motoring Compact Car Race

Daihatsu Japan has updated their Daihatsu Mira with a new model and guess what… the new facelift seems to sport headlamps that look like they belong to the Myvi family! A similiar design has been spotted on the new Perodua Kancil Replacement Model that has been seen doing testing rounds lately. Look after the jump for some comparisons…

Click here to read the rest of New Daihatsu Mira launched in Japan

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 production of the new Toyota Rush and Daihatsu Terios will start soon in Indonesia, and both will be produced in Daihatsu’s assembly plant. Selling the same model under two different badges in the same country seems to work well in Indonesia, where the Toyota Avanza/Daihatsu Xenia have achieved sales of 200,000 units since 2003.

Now that Indonesia has the new Terios, when will Perodua update it’s aging Kembara model? The new Terios was recently awarded 4X4 Magazines 4X4 Of The Year 2007 Award. I already have a few friends holding back their car purchases in eager anticipation of the new Kembara, if it ever happens. With it’s mini RAV4 looks, I’m sure it will be a runaway success like the Myvi.

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