DAIHATSU

17 entries

Japanese maker of kei cars and small vehicles, formed in 1951 as the successor to an engine manufacturer of 1907.

Formed: 1 March 1951
Predecessor: Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd, founded 1907
Headquarters: Ikeda, Osaka, Japan
Owner: Toyota Motor Corporation, since August 2016

Daihatsu was officially formed on 1 March 1951 as the successor to Hatsudoki Seizo, a company founded in 1907. It was known for three-wheeled vehicles and off-road vehicles before concentrating on kei cars, kei trucks and other small cars.

Toyota became a major shareholder in 1967 and the company a wholly owned subsidiary in August 2016. The Daihatsu brand is now present in Japan and Indonesia, with the Perodua brand used in Malaysia.

1907Hatsudoki Seizo founded
1951Daihatsu officially formed
1967Toyota becomes a major shareholder
2016Wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota

DAIHATSU Daihatsu Compagno: the company’s first proper passenger car
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Consorte: a Publica with a Daihatsu engine
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Delta: trucks and vans borrowed from Toyota and Hino
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Taft: three off-road vehicles under one name
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Leeza: a kei coupé with a commercial licence
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Charmant: a Corolla in Daihatsu clothing
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Opti: the upmarket kei car for the Japanese market
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Feroza: the export name of the Rocky off-roader
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Mira Gino: the retro Mira sold as the Trevis
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Mira: the kei car sold abroad as the Cuore
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Naked: a kei car dressed as a military runabout
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Gran Move: the little MPV built on Charade bones
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Move: the tall kei car that answered the Wagon R
DAIHATSU Daihatsu YRV: the mini MPV with a turbo and four-wheel drive
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Copen: the kei-class folding-roof roadster
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Charade: the three-cylinder supermini that outlived its class
DAIHATSU Daihatsu Sirion: an export name used for the Storia and the Boon