1993 Daihatsu Hijet W A/c on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1990 Daihatsu Charade SE Hatchback

The third-generation Daihatsu Charade could be purchased in the United States for the 1988 through 1992 model years, but competition against the likes of the Ford Festiva, Geo Metro, Subaru Justy, and Pontiac LeMans proved too tough for the relatively unknown Japanese marque. You won't see many Charades (or Rockies) today, but this gold '90 Charade manage to avoid the crusher until age 27. The Charade name is up there with Achieva, Starion, ETC, and Aspire, when it comes to model names from the "what could they have been thinking?" category. Like the Metro and Justy, the Charade's standard engine was a straight-three driving the front wheels. This engine was good for 53 horsepower, compared to 66 in the Justy and 55 in the Metro. An optional four-cylinder making 80 hp was available. The Charade listed for $6,497 in 1990, which is about $12,000 in inflation-adjusted 2017 dollars. The '90 Geo Metro was $6,995 and the Justy was a mere $6,295. This Charade never even made it to 100,000 miles, which may or may not be indicative of its build quality. Daihatsu USA tried to make the brand's obscurity a selling point in this 1991 ad, but the company was gone after the following year. Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Daihatsu Charade View 17 Photos Auto News Daihatsu Automotive History

Daihatsu's four Tokyo Motor Show concepts bring the Waku Waku

When Suzuki showed off two of its concept reveals for the Tokyo Motor Show, one was a kei car called the Waku Spo. As far as we can tell with Internet translators, that renders the words "box" and "ish," which we'll resolve into the entirely apt descriptive "boxy." Turns out when you double up on the waku, however, you get excitement, which could be how Daihatsu came to name one of its four Tokyo concepts the Waku Waku. The cerulean blue box with the searing orange highlights looks like the result of a kei car mixed with an overlander. Black cladding hunkers over tiny wheels shod in aggressive rubber. The rear windows are replaced by full-length interior panels with a jerry can motif above and attachment points below. The back half of the roof opens onto an additional storage area, and the bumper triples as a step and a platform. What's not to like? Sticking with the two-up names throughout, next comes the Ico Ico, an autonomous shuttle with its own robot assistant named Nippote. At just 58 inches wide, the four seater's designed to navigate especially cramped urban centers. Slide doors, a retractable ramp, and modular seating that can be moved around the cabin make easier access for the disabled. The Tsumu Tsumu is a kei-class goods carrier with a removable cargo box. The renderings show an industrial-strength drone that sits behind glass panels when not in use, and launches from the roof when operational. The artwork shows the foodservice box, the Tsumu Tsumu turned into a tiny food truck. The Wai Wai minivan makes room for two more passengers than the Ico Ico, swallowing six people in three rows of two. Front doors open to nearly 90 degrees, and rear sliding doors run to the back of the second row for better ingress and egress. Twin fabric sunroofs keep prevent a gloomy interior, and all of the seats fold down for when cargo instead of people needs hauling. We don't know what powers the concepts and what other neato tricks they might hide, but we looking forward to finding out when the Tokyo Motor Show opens later this month. Featured Gallery Daihatsu 2019 Tokyo Motor Show Concepts View 26 Photos Tokyo Motor Show Daihatsu Truck Crossover Minivan/Van Commercial Vehicles Concept Cars Off-Road Vehicles

Daihatsu's Move Canbus could very well be the world's cutest car

The Daihatsu Move Canbus is too adorable to ignore, even though don't frequently cover cars outside of the US market. Just look at its face. It's so cute that fascia just seems too cold a term to use. Those big round headlights and upturned grille make for a relentlessly cheerful look. It even has a little circular chrome badge for a nose! The bleakest Monday morning would be a little brighter if this was in your driveway to greet you. The cute appearance is enhanced by the cheerful retro colors and additional chrome trim. Even the Canbus's name is positive. Daihatsu's press release explains that it combines the verb "can" to describe the van's ability to do almost anything, with the noun "bus" to describe the shape of the car. This car literally has can-do attitude in the name. It's also the name for the internal communications hub for a car's computer, which is totally can-do. Now all the positivity in the world won't let this van accomplish everything. Compared with most vehicles from other markets, the Move Canbus a miniscule car. It falls into the "kei" class of Japanese cars which are incredibly small and have an engine displacement limit of 660cc. It makes good use of its limited space though. The rear seats can slide fore and aft to allow for more cargo space or rear legroom. It also has little drawers under the seats for extra storage, and they can slide out to hold bags. Plus, check out the retro interior with bench seats front and rear. Those seats can also be decked out with washable covers in four styles, including, for some reason, licensed Disney designs. We're not saying we think this van should come here, even though it totally should. As much as the Autoblog staff loves tiny Japanese cars, they're not safe in the land of F-450s and Ram Power Wagons. However, we want to acknowledge interesting car design, which this Daihatsu has, and we wouldn't mind seeing another company's take on the look. In fact, we believe a certain German automaker would be the perfect candidate for producing cute, retro van. Related Video: