2023 Daihatsu Hijet Dump Bed on 2040-cars

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Toyota outsells VW for global sales crown, apologizes with a vow to 'be honest'

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda bows in apology during a press conference Tuesday over the group companies' quality scandals. (Getty Images)   Every quarter, the stock market hangs on how much sales growth Tesla and other startups have experienced. There's growth, but then there's sheer output, and when it comes to deliveries dominance, one company can't be touched. Toyota on Tuesday announced that it remained the world's top-selling automaker for the fourth year running, with record sales of 11.2 million vehicles in 2023. Toyota's global group sales jumped 7.2% last year; the numbers include sales at Daihatsu and truck unit Hino Motors. Toyota's parent-only vehicles, which include the Toyota and Lexus brands, hit a record of 10.3 million vehicles in 2023. Gasoline-electric hybrids made up about a third of those. Battery electric vehicles accounted for less than 1%. Toyota's annual output handily beat runner-up Volkswagen Group, which this month reported a 12% rise in deliveries last year to 9.2 million cars. That growth was driven largely by demand for Audi, which sold 1.9 million vehicles. The auto industry in 2023 enjoyed a post-pandemic recovery as supply chain bottlenecks eased, though shipping problems through the Red Sea so far this year have stalled that progress by some automakers, causing some car plants in Europe to suspend production. Toyota's global group sales have now topped 10 million vehicles for nine of the past 10 years, except for 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a blow to the auto sector. Scandals and an apology Toyota's chairman apologized on Tuesday for scandals at the three group companies. Daihatsu, Hino and affiliate Toyota Industries have been beset by governance issues involving certification test procedures for cars and engines that could potentially hurt the brand's global reputation for quality and safety. "I would like to express my deepest apologies to our customers and stakeholders for the inconvenience and concern caused by the successive irregularities at Hino Motors, Daihatsu and Toyota Industries," Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda told reporters. He was speaking at an event to announce a vision for the Toyota group, which was founded by his great-grandfather and now includes 17 companies.

Suzuki and Daihatsu join Toyota electric vehicle venture

TOKYO — Suzuki Motor Corp and Daihatsu are joining a commercial electric vehicle coalition led by Toyota Motor Corp, the carmakers announced on Wednesday, helping the Japanese alliance expand its focus from trucks to smaller cars. The two automakers will each acquire a 10% stake in the joint venture, on par with Isuzu Motors and Hino Motors, while Toyota will hold a 60% stake, they said. "With Suzuki and Daihatsu joining the project and working together, we'll be able to expand our circle of cooperation to not only cover commercial vehicles but also mini vehicles," said Toyota President Akio Toyoda. "With this expansion, I believe that we'll be able to take one step closer to a better mobility society," Toyoda said. The move comes as Japanese automakers face growing competition from tech giants and other rivals making electric and driverless cars. Toyota, Isuzu and Hino launched the Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation in April to bolster their competitive edge in connected, commercial vehicles. Daihatsu's president Soichiro Okudaira said joining the pact and introducing connected, mini-commercial vehicles would allow data sharing, a major benefit for companies to provide better services to customers and improve logistics efficiency. (Reporting by Eimi Yamamitsu; Writing by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Louise Heavens) Related Video: Green Suzuki Toyota Daihatsu Electric Akio Toyoda

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: